Gov. Katie Hobbs on Monday placed the first Black and Hispanic woman 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 by the Commission on Appellate Court Appointments. By law, Hobbs was required to choose from that list.

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.

YUMA COUNTY, Ariz. — Gov. Katie Hobbs has selected Arizona Court of Appeals Judge Maria Elena Cruz to fill a seat on the Arizona Supreme Court. Cruz, a Democrat from Yuma County, was announced Wednesday as the governor's choice to fill a seat vacated by Justice Robert Brutinel last year.