U.S. District Judge Diane J. Humetewa is the first female Native American judge to serve on the federal bench. Humetewa grew up in Phoenix and on her Hopi ancestral lands. She is frequently asked about growing up in two worlds: participating in school and social activities in Phoenix while adhering to the Hopi way of life as an enrolled member of the tribe. “It’s one world in my view,” said Humetewa. “I would do all the things that high school kids would do … but perhaps on the weekend we’d have to go to the reservation.” In 2007, seven years prior to her historic appointment to the federal bench, Humetewa was the first Native American woman to serve as a U.S. Attorney in the District of Arizona. Her story is one of dedication to public service. Prior to her judicial confirmation, she served as Special Advisor to the President and Special Counsel in the Office of General Counsel at Arizona State University (2011-2014). She also served as a Professor of Practice at Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. Judge Humetewa was formerly Counsel with the law firm of Squire, Sanders & Dempsey LLP representing tribal government clients as a federal Indian law and natural resources law attorney
She served in the United States Attorney’s Office in the District of Arizona (1996-2009), where she was Senior Litigation Counsel (2001-2007) — prosecuting a wide variety of federal crimes, including violent crimes in Indian Country, Native American cultural crimes, and archeological resource crimes — and later the United States Attorney for the district (2007-2009). During her tenure in the United States Attorney’s Office, Judge Humetewa served as Counsel to the Deputy Attorney General (1996-1998) and as Deputy Counsel for the United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. Judge Humetewa received her J.D. in 1993 from Arizona State University College of Law and her B.S. in 1987 from Arizona State University. She is a member of the Hopi Tribe and has served as an Appellate Court Judge for the Hopi Tribe Appellate Court (2002-2007).