Gov. Katie Hobbs announces her 1st Arizona Supreme Court appointment

PHOENIX – Gov. Katie Hobbs announced her first Arizona Supreme Court appointment on Wednesday.

Hobbs selected Arizona Court of Appeals Judge Maria Elena Cruz to fill the vacancy created by the departure of Justice Robert Brutinel, who retired at the end of October after nearly 14 years on the seven-member panel.

“Of course, I was focused on credentials and experience, but also on appointing a justice who will uplift those who need it most,” Hobbs said during a press conference.

Cruz will be the state’s first Latina and first Black justice and just the sixth woman to serve on the state’s highest court, which was established in 1912.

Governor Katie Hobbs has selected Judge Maria Elena Cruz as Arizona’s next Supreme Court Justice. Cruz will be the first Black woman and Latina woman to serve on the state’s high court.
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“For many, this day is long overdue. And so today we celebrate,” Cruz said. “We celebrate that Arizonans will look at their highest court and see a group that looks more like them.”

Hobbs picked Cruz over four other Arizona Supreme Court nominees

In December, the Commission on Appellate Court Appointments submitted five nominees to Hobbs after reviewing applications. Hobbs picked Cruz over Andrew M. Jacobs, Nicole C. Davis, Alexander W. Samuels and Regina L. Nassen.

“I prioritize an appointee who is not only eminently qualified, but also someone who reflects our state and who’s committed to making our legal system work for everyday people,” Hobbs said.

Cruz said she brings “a perspective that is informed by growing up, living, raising a family and working in rural Arizona” to her new role.

“I will do the work of applying the law fairly, but I will also do so while acknowledging that access to justice is limited and there’s much work to be done in ensuring that poverty or lack of education do not continue to be barriers for Arizonans’ understanding and use of the legal system,” she said.

New justice has long career in Arizona judicial system

Cruz is a longtime Yuma resident who received her law degree from the University of Arizona in 2001.

She spent time as a prosecutor in Pima and Yuma counties as well as in private practice before becoming a Cocopah Indian Tribe judge in 2005 and a Yuma County Superior Court judge in 2009.

In 2017, then-Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican, appointed Cruz to a seat on the Arizona Court of Appeals.

“Even today, Judge Cruz still returns to her home county once a month to preside over restitution court,” Hobbs said. “Judge Cruz, the attorney and judicial officer, is eminently qualified to serve on our state’s highest court.”

Chief Justice Ann Timmer lauded the selection, expressing confidence that Cruz “will be able to hold her own in the room and to contribute to ensuring that the correct decisions are made.”

“It is extraordinarily important to the court that everyone have equal access to justice and is able to accommodate the procedures and policies of the court,” Timmer said. “So, having someone from Yuma, and a former Superior Court judge, to boot, is a tremendous boon to our court.”

Cruz is the first justice appointed by a Democratic governor since Janet Napolitano put Scott Bales on the high court in 2005. The Arizona Supreme Court had consisted solely of Republican appointees since Bales retired in 2019.

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