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.
Arizona's governor appoints first Latina and Black justice to state Supreme Court Democratic Gov.
Hobbs’ selection of Cruz marks the first Supreme Court appointment by a Democratic governor since 2005.
Since the establishment of the Arizona Supreme Court in 1912, no justice has identified as Black.
On Dec. 9, the 16-member commission, chaired by Supreme Court Chief Justice Ann Timmer, interviewed eight applicants.
