Superior Court Judge Rosa Mroz Killed in Traffic Collision
by Timothy Tait
PHOENIX (Feb. 5, 2022) – Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Rosa Mroz was struck by a vehicle while crossing a Phoenix intersection the morning of Feb. 2. She died earlier today at a Valley hospital as a result of the injuries sustained in the collision, which remains under investigation by the Phoenix Police Department.
Judge Mroz served on the bench since 2004 after being appointed by then-Gov. Janet Napolitano. She was recognized as a leader among her peers, having led the court’s Probate and Mental Health Department from 2010 to 2013 during a period of transformation that made it a model for other states.
“Judge Mroz was a gifted jurist, a dedicated public servant and a true friend,” said Maricopa County Superior Court Presiding Judge Joseph Welty. “The thoughts and prayers of everyone in the Judicial Branch in Maricopa County are with her family at this difficult time.”
In 2012, the Arizona Supreme Court presented Judge Mroz with the Judicial Achievement Award in the General Jurisdiction Category. The following year, the Superior Court’s Probate and Mental Health Department won achievement awards from the National Association of Court Management and the National Association of Counties.
Judge Mroz was an accomplished jurist who received accolades throughout her career. In addition to the awards she won on behalf of Superior Court’s Probate Department, Judge Mroz was the recipient of the 2020 Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law Judge of the Year, the 2020 National Asian Pacific American Bar Association Trailblazer Award, and the 2014 Maricopa County Superior Court’s Penny Gaines Collegiality Award.
Judge Mroz’ judicial career included criminal, civil, probate and family department assignments.
“Rosa was the truest friend and colleague one could have. She was the brightest of lights and an example of the best in all of us,” said Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Howard Sukenic.
“Above all else, Rosa was a loving wife, an adoring mother to her two children and a devoted daughter. Rosa befriended everyone she met in life and treated each one of us as her closest friend. The world has lost a most generous spirit and an extraordinary person,” said Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Meg Mahoney.
Prior to her judicial appointment in 2004, Judge Mroz served as a civil litigator with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office and worked in private practice as an associate with Fennemore Craig and with Jennings Strouss & Salmon. In between her two stints in private practice, Judge Mroz served as a deputy county attorney with the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. Her legal career began as a law clerk in 1991 for former Arizona Supreme Court Justice James Duke Cameron; in 1993, she clerked for former Arizona Court of Appeals Judge Thomas Kleinschmidt. Before becoming a lawyer, she practiced as a certified public accountant with the firm of Price Waterhouse and with Motorola, Inc.
Judge Mroz earned her bachelor’s degree in accounting and her Juris Doctorate, cum laude, from Arizona State University.