Justice Maria Elena Cruz of the Arizona Supreme Court

3/01/2025

Justice Maria Elena Cruz

c/o Arizona Supreme Court

1501 W. Washington Street, #411

Phoenix, AZ  85007

Dear Justice Cruz,

My name is Matt Winick from Ann Arbor, Michigan and I have a strong interest in learning history, social justice, and criminal justice reform. In these subjects, I like to learn the need for civil rights to be stronger to reduce discrimination. expand on criminal justice reform to help protect people’s rights while reduce crime, and many others. Justice Cruz, the main reason why I’m writing you a letter is to explain how I find your work when you served as Judge of the Yuma County Superior Court, as Judge of the Arizona Court of Appeals for the Division 1, and as current Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court to be very inspiring to me.

When you served as Judge of the Yuma County Superior Court of Arizona from 2009-2017 and as Judge of the Arizona Court of Appeals for the Division 1 from 2017-2025, I  truly appreciated on how you were a strong supporter of civil rights by advocating for people with disabilities’ rights, pushing for strict sentencing for people who commit hate crimes to help protect minorities including people who are different, and investigating public places that practice different forms of discrimination. Supporting drug treatment programs to help drug users get the care they need to reduce drug abuse, expanding on resources to help victims of crime or victims of domestic violence get the help on dealing with their trauma,  and advocating with pushing for funds to improve DNA testing including forensic science to help solve evidence including cases efficiently while reduce sending an innocent person to jail is common sense for criminal justice reform. Also on criminal justice reform, I liked on how you worked on reforming juvenile justice like pushing for social workers including people who have expertise to help juveniles who come from poor families or have struggles with mental health or a disability to get help and advocate for the need for a mental health court to provide people who struggle with mental health to get into treatment instead of strict sentencing. In February 2025, I was amazed on how you made history on becoming the first African American and Latina American woman to be on the Arizona Supreme Court. In your current role as Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court, I like on how you are a continuous strong supporter of civil rights including people with disabilities’ rights and criminal justice reform. Another thing that I like about your work in the Arizona Supreme Court is how you is how you continue to support protection of civil liberties like the 4^th amendment to help protect people from unreasonable searches, advocate for the need for social workers to be on call with law enforcement to help people who are poor or have a mental health, express the importance of protecting voter’s rights from being oppressed, and many others.

Justice Cruz, I have autism with a learning disability. Having a disability is hard for me because I have trouble comprehending on learning different advanced subjects, sometimes I struggle to communicate my thoughts in different settings including social settings, and get teased. Another thing that I struggle with a disability is when other people including other adults get judgmental about me being different from them and have struggles to find different methods to improve myself. Also with my disability, I struggle in society including a work place or when I volunteer on trying to do fast pace on different tasks including understanding how to do task efficiently which causes people to get flustered at me. Also with my challenges, I have struggles on maintaining friendships when other people get judgmental about me having a disability or not meeting their expectations. Your commitment to be a strong supporter of civil rights including people with disabilities’ rights really inspires me to work hard on my disability. Your role as former Judge of the Yuma County Superior Court, as former Judge of the Arizona Court of Appeals for the Division 1, and as current Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court  helps give me motivation to continue to learn history, social justice, and criminal justice reform. My future goal is to someday work in these areas to help emphasize the need for civil rights to be stronger to reduce discrimination, have criminal justice reform to help protect people’s rights while reduce crime, and many others. 

I strongly believe that you are making a great difference. I’m very proud on how you are working hard to support civil rights including people with disabilities’ rights and expand while advocate for criminal justice reform. You truly inspire me to work hard on my disability, learn about your work, and continue to learn different subjects. Thanks for taking the time to read my letter, working hard to make a great difference, and inspiring me. If I visit Phoenix Arizona I would like to meet you because you inspire me. Please continue to make a great difference and advocate for common sense ideas for society.

Sincerely,

Matt Winick