Maricopa County Superior Court issued the following announcement on Sept. 14.
Governor Doug Ducey announced the appointments of Adele Ponce and Scott Blaney to the Maricopa County Superior Court. These appointments are to fill vacancies due to the retirements of Judge Aimee L. Anderson and Judge Peter C. Reinstein.
Adele Ponce is currently a criminal appellate prosecutor with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office. After graduating from law school, Adele worked with the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, which was established to prosecute the leaders and organizers of the Rwandan genocide that took place in 1994. Adele then joined Lewis and Roca, LLP as an Associate, practicing primarily in commercial litigation. In 2011, Adele left the firm to clerk for Judge Mary Murguia, first with the U.S. District Court and then with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Adele serves the community as part of the Achievement Rewards for College Scientists Foundation, which provides scholarships to American graduate students in the sciences at Arizona public universities. She is also a member of the Board of Trustees for All Saints’ Episcopal Day School.
“Adele’s diverse legal experience in both civil and criminal law will be an asset to the bench,” said Governor Ducey. “I am honored to appoint Adele to the Maricopa County Superior Court.”
Adele graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government. She also earned a Master’s degree in Social Science from the University of Chicago. Adele then graduated from the University of Chicago Law School in 2004.
Scott Blaney has been serving with the Arizona National Guard/Arizona Department of Emergency & Military Affairs (DEMA) since 2007. During this time, Scott was the General Counsel of DEMA and State Judge Advocate for the Arizona National Guard, where he provided wide-ranging legal services throughout the joint military-civilian governmental agency. Prior to these positions, Scott practiced employment law and commercial litigation at the law firms of Cohen Dowd & Quigley, Jackson Lewis, and Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak and Stewart.
Scott served his country through the Army National Guard and Army Reserve for 24 years. He received his commission as JAG Attorney for the U.S. Army in 2005 and subsequently served in Iraq from 2006-2007 and in Afghanistan from 2009-2010, including serving as the legal advisor to the prison that held Saddam Hussein and other high-value detainees. Scott also serves on the board of Soldier’s Best Friend, a nonprofit that provides therapy dogs, many of whom are rescued from shelters, to veterans with combat-related PTSD and traumatic brain injuries.
“Scott’s service to the State and the nation will bring a unique perspective and broad experience to the courtroom,” said Governor Ducey. “I am pleased to appoint Scott to the Maricopa County Superior Court.”
Scott graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Arts in History in 1997. Scott then received his law degree from the University of Arizona College of Law in 2003.
Original source can be found here.