MAY 16, 2014

HOPI DIANE JOYCE HUMETEWA SWORN AS U.S. DISTRICT COURT JUDGE

Born December 5, 1964, in Phoenix, Arizona, Humetewa, an enrolled member of the Hopi tribe, received her Juris Doctor in 1993 from Arizona State University.  Beginning in 1996, she served as Tribal Liaison in the office of the U. S. Attorney for Arizona, and from 2001 to 2007, as Senior Litigation Counsel.  On December 17, 2007, Humetewa was sworn in as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona–the first Native American woman to serve as a U.S. Attorney.  An expert on Native American legal issues, from 2002 to 2007, she served as a judge pro tem on the Hopi Tribal Appellate Court, and as an ad hoc member of the Native American Subcommittee of the U.S. Sentencing Commission.  On September 19, 2013, President Obama nominated her for a seat on the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona.  The Senate voted 96-0 to confirm.  Following the death of Justice Antonin Scalia in February 2016, Humetewa was mentioned as a possible nominee for his seat on the U.S. Supreme Court. 

Source:  R. Kyle Alagood, “A Hard-to-Obstruct Supreme Court Nominee: Diane Humetewa FTW,” Huffpost, 2/16/2016.  Retrieved 6/30/2019, https://www.huffingtonpost.com/r-kyle-alagood/a-hardtoobstruct-supreme-_b_9237712.html
Photo:  U.S. Government, 2/11/2008.  Public Domain.  Photograph taken by an officer or employee of the United States Government as part of that person’s official duties under the terms of Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105 of the US Code.