YUMA, Ariz- The Arizona Supreme Court has appointed Maria Elena Cruz to be Presiding Judge of Yuma county. Her appointment comes after Judge John Nelson announced his retirement.
Cruz said, “I really am looking forward to us becoming even more united than we’ve been and pulling those talents for the service in the community and I really saw it as a tool in my hands to further the community.”
Cruz will take over her new position on March 25th, having administrative authority over all courts, judicial officers, and court employees in the county.
Judge Cruz is already working on making news and information surrounding the courts more accessible for the general public.
Cruz adds, “The other counties around the state Maricopa County comes to mind have Facebook pages and twitter pages that feed factual information out to community on cases of interest.”
Judge Cruz plans on improving the administration of justice system and to better serve her community.
Cruz said, “When people can go directly to the source and receive factual information then they can make up their minds of what’s going on. But when they receive information that is not quite accurate then that erodes their confidence in our justice system.”
Cruz has been a superior court judge since 2009. She was also a judge for the Cocopah Indian Tribe, she also held several attorney titles prior to her roles as a judge.
She graduated from Arizona Western College, University of Arizona, and the University of James E. Rogers College of Law.