Ruth McGregor


Ruth Van Roekel McGregor is a former justice of the Arizona Supreme Court in the USA.

Legal education and experience

McGregor received a B.A. degree from the University of Iowa in 1964, an M.A. from the University of Iowa in 1965, and her law degree from the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State University 1974.

Judicial career

McGregor served as law clerk to Supreme Court of the United States justice Sandra Day O'Connor from 1981 to 1982 and served on the Arizona Court of Appeals from 1989 to 1998.
McGregor was appointed to the Arizona Supreme Court in 1998 by the Republican Governor Jane Dee Hull and remained there until her retirement in 2009. She was retained in 2000 and 2006. She served a term as Chief Justice that ended with her retirement from the court. She retired from the court on June 30, 2009, and was succeeded by John Pelander.

Advocate of Missouri plan

Justice McGregor is an advocate of Arizona's version of the Missouri Plan for choosing state judges.

On "derogatory" terms referring to undocumented immigrants

The Los Abogados Hispanic Bar Association requested that the Arizona Court system cease using terms like "illegal" in cases and opinions. Justice Ruth McGregor in a letter, indicated that she had informed the judges of the organization's concerns with using terms like "illegal", "aliens" or "illegal immigrants".