Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has appointed four people to fill voids on the Maricopa County Superior Court.

Julie Mata, Max-Henri Covil, Monica Edelstein and Rusty Crandell are filling vacancies created by the appointment of Judge Cynthia J. Bailey to Division One of the Arizona Court of Appeals and the retirements of Judges Lisa Daniel Flores, Warren J. Granville and Andrew G. Klein.

Ms. Mata has been a commissioner with the Maricopa County Superior Court since 2013, where she has served in the Criminal and Probate Divisions. As commissioner, she gained broad experience conducting judicial hearings throughout all stages of the criminal process.

Prior to serving as commissioner, Ms. Mata worked as an administrative law judge for the Arizona Department of Transportation from 2011 to 2013, handling cases involving suspensions, denials and revocations of drivers licenses. She also presided over hearings regarding fuel tax evasion, franchise disputes, and dealership and title disputes.

Prior to that, Ms. Mata had her own practice handling criminal, probate, family, personal injury and corporate matters. During this time, she also served as a judge pro tem for the city of Tolleson from 2010 to 2012. She began her career at the Maricopa County Public Defender’s Office from 2003 to 2009.

Ms. Mata is a member of the Arizona Women Lawyers Association and the Phoenix Rotary 100. Through her involvement in the Phoenix Rotary 100, she has volunteered for the Encanto Reading Program. She has also volunteered for the Veteran’s Stand Down and National Adoption Day events.

Ms. Mata received her Bachelor of Science in Public Administration and Political Science from the Northern Arizona University in 1996 and received her law degree from Gonzaga University School of Law in 2003.

Mr. Covil has been serving as a commissioner with the Maricopa County Superior Court since 2018. He is currently assigned to the Regional Court Center, a high-volume, felony criminal court.

Prior to serving as commissioner, Mr. Covil worked as an administrative law judge for ADOT from 2013 to 2018, conducting hearings to address issues arising under the regulatory and enforcement powers of ADOT. During this time, he also served as a judge pro tem with the Maricopa County Superior Court, assigned to the Regional Court Center and Probation Violation Court. He began his career as a Maricopa County Public Defender from 2008 to 2013.

Mr. Covil regularly volunteers for the Arizona Veterans StandDown, where he adjudicates criminal cases to assist veterans. He has also been a volunteer with the Boys and Girls Club of North Tempe. He is an active member of the Arizona Black Bar Association, Arizona Judges Association, Maricopa County Bar Association and Thurgood Marshall Inn of Court. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Community Legal Services.

Mr. Covil received his bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania and law degree from Syracuse University College of Law in 2007.

Ms. Edelstein has been serving as an assistant U.S. attorney for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Phoenix since 2013. She has managed a diverse caseload including cases involving fraud and white collar crime, public integrity, national security, narcotics, gun trafficking and violent crime. She also serves as the Professional Responsibility Officer for her office and advises colleagues on professional conduct matters.

Ms. Edelstein also serves as an evaluator with the Department of Justice’s Evaluation and Review Staff. In this capacity, she conducts periodic site visits at every U.S. Attorney’s Office across the country to provide management assistance, assure compliance with DOJ policy and share best practices to improve efficiency.

Before joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Phoenix, Ms. Edelstein worked in Washington D.C. at the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

She also serves as a Reserve Air Force Assistant Judge Advocate General. She currently supports the Legal Office at Luke Air Force Base in a primarily civil practice. Also, as a member of the Air Force’s TRIALS Team, she trains other litigators serving at U.S. Air Force bases.

Ms. Edelstein is invested in helping Arizona’s youth and actively volunteers in her community. She recently served on the Board of Directors for Cactus Foothills Little League and volunteers with Feed My Starving Children, Court Works — federal court mock trial competition — and Ninth Circuit Civics Competition — high school competition.

She also serves on the Board of Directors for the University of Arizona Law College Association. She is a member of the Federal Bar Association and South Asian Bar Association. She was a member of the State Bar of Arizona’s Committee on Women and Minority Lawyers, serving as its Vice-Chair in 2016-2017.

Ms. Edelstein graduated from Boston College with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Sociology. She received her law degree from the University of Arizona where she served as Editor in Chief of the Arizona Journal of International and Comparative Law. She subsequently received her Master of Laws in Taxation from New York University School of Law.

Mr. Crandell has been with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office since 2016, where he currently serves as the Deputy Solicitor General and Chief Counsel of the Federalism Unit. In this role, he handles constitutional law cases before the Arizona Supreme Court and participates in multi-state litigation regarding challenges brought under federal law.

Prior to joining the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, Mr. Crandell practiced commercial litigation, insurance recovery and intellectual property at Perkins Coie LLP from 2008 to 2015. After law school, he clerked for Judge Roslyn Silver in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona.

Mr. Crandell is an active member of several professional organizations, including the State Bar of Arizona’s Civil Practice and Procedure Committee and the J. Reuben Clark Law Society.

He received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and law degree from Arizona State University. While in law school, Mr. Crandell served on the Arizona State Law Journal and graduated first in his class.