Newly appointed Supreme Court Justice Maria Elena Cruz has played a key role in some major decisions while she was a judge on the Court of Appeals. In May, she wrote for a

Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs appointed Maria Elena Cruz to the Arizona Supreme Court on Wednesday, making the state appellate judge from Yuma County the first Latina and first Black person chosen for the state’s high court.

Gov. Katie Hobbs on Monday placed the first Latina and the first Black ever on the Arizona Supreme Court. While in private practice, Cruz also served as a judge for the Cocopah Indian Tribe before being elected to Yuma County Superior Court in 2008.

Gov. Katie Hobbs announced her first Arizona Supreme Court selection on Wednesday, appointing Judge Maria Elena Cruz to the bench.

PHOENIX — Gov. Katie Hobbs on Monday placed the first Hispanic/Black woman ever on the Arizona Supreme Court. The governor chose Maria Elena Cruz, now a judge on the Court of Appeals, from among the five names submitted to her by the Commission on Appellate Court Appointments. By law, she was required to choose from that list.

The appointment of Maria Elena Cruz broadens the racial, geographic and political diversity of the seven-member, Republican-dominated court.

Arizona's new Supreme Court Justice xxxxxxx, has strong ties to the University of Arizona. Cruz earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from the school in 1998 and a law degree

Maria Elena Cruz, a state appeals court judge, is the first Latina and first Black Arizonan to serve on the state’s most influential bench.