The Hon. Maria Elena Cruz is a judge for the Arizona Court of Appeals (Division One). She was appointed to the bench by Governor Doug Ducey on April 12, 2017.
Prior to her appointment, Cruz served as a judge for the Yuma County Superior Court, a position to which she was appointed in 2009. During her tenure there, she held assignments as the Presiding Judge of Yuma County (2016 to 2017). Before that, she spent time as a judge pro tempore for the Cocopah Indian Tribe.
Cruz earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Arizona in 1998. She then completed a J.D. at the University of Arizona, James E. Rogers College of Law 2001.
After graduating from law school, Cruz began her legal career as a deputy county attorney for the Yuma County Attorney’s Office. She later joined the Yuma County Attorney’s Office, where she served as an assistant legal defender until opening her own private practice as a sole practitioner. As a sole practitioner, Cruz specialized in criminal and family law matters.
Her memberships have included the Arizona Judges Association (president), the Hispanic National Bar Association, and Los Abogados. She has also been involved with the Arizona Supreme Court’s Commission on Access to Justice, the Task Force on Justice for All, and the Commission on Victims in the Court.
She has taught trial advocacy in Tijuana, Mexicali, La Paz, and Guanajuato in the Republic of Mexico.
Cruz was raised in Yuma County, Arizona, where she attended Yuma High School.