Ruth V. McGregor, Former Chief Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court, on Judicial Diversity

Former Arizona Chief Justice Ruth McGregor, one of the first women to serve on that State's high court, looks back on her career and emphasizes the importance of encouraging more diversity on the bench.

Judge Roxanne Song Ong on Diversity on the Bench

Judge Roxanne Song Ong former Chief Presiding Judge of the Phoenix Municipal Court talks about her path from the small grocery store her family owned in the city to the career she has today.

Three Judges' Path to the Bench

Judges Thomas LeClaire, Patricia Orozco and Maurice Portley talk about their path to the bench.

So you want to be a Judge?

The Arizona Supreme Court Commission on Diverity, Equality, and Justice in the Judiciary, through its Diversity Workgroup, has developed this web site to promote judicial diversity in Arizona.  It is intended to encourage and assist minority attorneys who are contemplating judicial careers by providing a comprehensive source of information regarding judicial vacancies and the application process. Because our state’s various minority bar organizations play a crucial role in recruiting, encouraging and assisting qualified minority applicants, this site also strives to provide useful information to those organizations while alerting applicants to the potential help they may receive therefrom.  In this context, the Commission encourages Arizona’s minority bar associations to borrow ideas from each other, to the extent feasible, in promoting qualified judicial applicants.  

Finally, this site is intended to augment, not replace, the practical information provided to potential applicants as part of the Chris Nakamura Judicial Appointment Workshops.  Along with presenting the Workshop at the Minority Bar Convention (2017 Workshop Materials), the Commission is open to requests to co-host stand-alone presentations.

Arizona's Minority Bar Associations

     Arizona Asian American Bar Association (AAABA)
     Arizona Black Bar Association (ABB)
     Arizona Minority Bar Association (AMBA)
     Arizona Women Lawyers Association (AWLA)
     Los Abogados Hispanic Bar Association
     Native American Bar Association – Arizona Chapter (NABA-AZ)

Other Resources
      State Bar of Arizona - Persons with Disabilities Council

Arizona Minority Bar Association Assistance
The Commission recognizes that each minority bar association has neither unlimited time nor resources.  This project was designed to assist them in promoting judicial diversity as efficiently as possible.  The Diversity Workgroup interviewed the sister associations about their various judicial diversity activities and have organized that collective wisdom.

Alerting your membership to various judicial openings
Identifying and encouraging especially strong candidates
Assisting Individuals who apply
Finding out why an applicant was not selected
Keeping your organization consistent
Develop a pipeline of young attorneys interested in judicial careers
Organizing materials