Hon. Diane J. Humetewa

Judge | United States District Court for the District of Arizona (Phoenix, AZ)

The Honorable Diane J. Humetewa was confirmed by the United States Senate on May 14, 2014 as a United States District Judge for the United States District Court in the District of Arizona.  In addition to her judicial responsibilities on the bench, Judge Humetewa serves on multiple court committees at the district and circuit levels regarding pro se litigants, sentencing guidelines, education, tribal issues & reentry of offenders. 

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 Of Counsel with the law firm of Squire, Sanders & Dempsey LLP (2009-2011), 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).  Judge Humetewa has also served as Counsel to the Deputy Attorney General (1996-1998) and as Deputy Counsel for the United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs (1993-1996).   

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).