PHOENIX — Maricopa County officials say Superior Court Judge Rosa Mroz, who was hit by a car earlier this week, has died from her injuries.
Judge Mroz reportedly died Saturday morning at a hospital.
She was struck by a vehicle while crossing the street near 56th Street and Camelback Road Wednesday morning. She was taken to the hospital in extremely critical condition.
A preliminary investigation indicates the driver of the car that struck her failed to stop for a red light, according to Phoenix police. It was not immediately clear whether charges would be filed against the driver.
“Judge Mroz was a gifted jurist, a dedicated public servant and a true friend,” said Maricopa County Superior Court Presiding Judge Joseph Welty in a press release. “The thoughts and prayers of everyone in the Judicial Branch in Maricopa County are with her family at this difficult time.”
“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.
In 2020, Judge Mroz won the trailblazer award for the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association. In a video done for the honor, she said she was appointed as a judge by Janet Napolitano in 2004.
Judge Mroz said at the time that she came to America from Taiwan and became a citizen when she turned 18. The Judge who swore her in left a lasting impression that led her to become a lawyer and eventually, she says, one of the only Asian judges in Arizona.
"There are things you need to do as a citizen, to make democracy and what we like about the United States go forward, and one of those things is being a public servant,” said Judge Mroz in the video.
Governor Doug Ducey ordered flags to be flown at half-staff Monday, Feb. 7, in the judge's honor.
