Gov. Katie Hobbs (D-AZ) appointed a new justice to serve on the Arizona Supreme Court, marking the first time a Democratic administration has been given the chance to influence the state’s high court in two decades.
Hobbs nominated Judge Maria Elena Cruz, a lifelong resident of Yuma, Arizona, to the state Supreme Court. Cruz will replace Justice Robert Brutinel, who retired last year.
“Judge Maria Elena Cruz has led a life dedicated to justice and service to her state and community,” Hobbs said in a statement. “Her decades of work reflect not only her legal expertise, but her deep understanding of the people she serves. Her presence on the Arizona Supreme Court reaffirms that the court belongs to the people of Arizona.”
The governor worked with a bipartisan 16-member Commission on Appellate Court Appointments to find Cruz as an appointment. Arizona is one of 10 states that select justices through an assisted appointment with a governor-controlled judicial nominating commission.
Hobbs said the nomination of Cruz is a “historic moment” for the state as her appointment will not only expand the diversity of the politics of the court but also its racial makeup. Cruz will be the first Latina and first black member of the Arizona Supreme Court.
“Once we have already established that applicants are qualified, there is an importance that the courts reflect the population that they serve. And we’re not a minimal number, Latinos in Arizona, and so there’s no reason why our Supreme Court should not reflect that. So it’s a source of incredible pride and honor to be the first Latina on our Supreme Court,” Cruz said.
Cruz became a judge pro-tem for the Cocopah Indian Tribe in 2005. In 2008, she was elected as Superior Court Judge in Yuma County, where she served until 2017.
Since 2017, she served as a judge on the Arizona Court of Appeals after being appointed by then-Gov. Doug Ducey (R-AZ). She was the first Democrat Ducey selected to serve on a state appellate court.
“I actually didn’t set out to get on the Supreme Court. My goal was to serve my community, as an attorney. We live in what’s called a ‘legal desert.’ In other words, there are not enough attorneys,” she said. “When I was in need of an attorney, it was difficult to get one. I was fortunate that I was able to get one, but I thought this is an area that there’s need in our community. So I set out to do that.”
“I went to law school. I did come back to my community, and I served there. My desire to serve eventually led me to the tribal court, to the superior court, to the court of appeals, and now here. So it’s just answering the calls to serve has brought me here, and I’m eager to do that,” she continued.
Hobbs is the first Democratic governor to have the opportunity to appoint a justice to the Arizona Supreme Court in 20 years. Former Justice Scott Bales, who was appointed by then-Gov. Janet Napolitano in 2005, was the last Democratic-appointed justice. Bales retired in 2019.
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Former Arizona Supreme Court Justice Robert Brutinel, who then-Gov. Jan Brewer (R-AZ) appointed to the bench in 2010, sent a letter to Hobbs in September of last year saying he would retire from the state’s high court on Oct. 31. Arizona law requires justices to retire at age 70, and Brutinel was 66 at the time of his retirement.
All six justices currently serving on the court were appointed by Republican governors. One justice is a registered independent, however. Arizona had two Republican governors from 2009 to 2023. In 2016, Ducey expanded the court from five to seven seats.
