Phoenix – Democratic government Katie Hobbs appointed Maria Elena Cruz to the Arizona Supreme Court on Wednesday, and the first black man to be selected as the countryside Yuma County’s country judge for appeals, the first Latina and the first black man to be selected as the state’s high court. I made it.
Hobbs’ Cruz’s choice marks the first appointment of the Supreme Court by a Democratic governor since 2005. It also expands the racial, geographical and political diversity of the seven Republican-controlled courts.
“I have prioritized people who are not only highly qualified, but also reflect our state and are committed to making our legal system work for everyday people. “,” Hobbs said at a press conference to announce her choice. “Of course I was focusing on qualifications and experience, but also on appointing justice that would lift those who needed it most.”
Since the establishment of the Arizona Supreme Court in 1912, neither of the 49 past or present justice has been identified as black. Only one person – John Lopez, Associate Attorney General of the Supreme Court – was Latino. Cruz, a Democrat, will become the second of his Latino heritage and the first of African descent to host the bench.
Previous GOP Governors Doug Ducey and Jan Brewer were responsible for choosing justice for six other people living in Maricopa County, Arizona’s most populous county, including Phoenix.
Cruz said courts that do not reflect the state’s population “does not bring confidence.”
“As new justice, I will not only bring 20 years of judicial experience, including serving in Cocopa courts, superior courts and courts of appeals, deep respect and loyalty to the rule of law, but I will also raise my growth, life and family. , the perspective that is informed by working in rural Arizona,” Cruz said.
Judge Robert Bruttinel’s retirement on October 31 presented Hobbes with an unusual opportunity to fill court vacancies with her own choices. The judiciary has recently ruled in cases relating to several hot button issues, including abortion and elections, leading to accusations of political bias.
Under Arizona law, the Appeal Court’s Appointment Committee must provide the governor to select three or more names. On December 9th, a 16-person committee interviewed eight applicants. In the end, I sent a list of five names to Hobbs. Hobbs made the 60-day decision.
Born in New York to a Puerto Rican father and a Dominican mother, Cruz was 14 when she and her family moved to Yuma County, the southwestern corner of Arizona, where she and her family meet California and Mexico.
She was a student at Arizona Western College and was an elementary school teacher when she got involved in a car accident that changed the trajectory of her life. After securing a legal representative, she found herself sitting across from her attorney to discuss her case. Then she had an inspiration.
“There are people here who are doing things that really make sense, people who have an impact on people’s lives with the work he does.” I told the interviewer oncereflects her thoughts at that moment.
She asked about his path to the legal profession. When he spoke about the importance of law school and the requirements for passing the bar exam, she said she was determined to be a lawyer.
Later that day, she told her employer she had resigned to earn a law degree.
Cruz received his bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Arizona in 1998 and a law degree from the university in 2001. She was a legal scribe at the Pima County Attorney’s Office, a prosecutor and criminal defense attorney at the Yuma County Lawyer’s Office. Personal practices.
She became a judge of the Cocopine Indian Tribe in 2005. He served as a judge for Yuma County Superior Court between 2009 and 2017.
Since 2017, Cruz has served as a judge for the Arizona Court of Appeals. She was appointed by Ducey as the first Democrat to serve in the state court of appeals by a Republican governor.
Cruz’s family stood behind her during the announcement Wednesday morning. Her husband, Glenn Avino, said they got the news at the last moment. Her father traveled overnight from Mexico City, and her step-law drove overnight from Las Vegas to assist her.
Cruz’s 24-year-old son, Diego Avino, was appointed to the state’s Supreme Court, but also made her mother very proud due to her “gut-close work ethic” that she won the place. He said he was there.
“It’s just coming from a small town, going to Phoenix and going up to this place,” he said. “We need real dedication.”
Cruz will be sworn in Monday, officials said.
Writes from Govindarao and Sandoval for Associated Press.
