In March, the Egyptian Supreme Judicial Council approved the appointment of 31 females as judges and joined the ranks of Tunisia, Morocco and the Sudan, which already allow females to serve as judges. Newly appointed Judge Hanan Abdel-Aziz said, “This latest victory for women simply means that everyone’s beginning to recognize women’s rights and women’s potential. Our respected judges eventually realized how vital it is to have female chiefs of justice in our society.” Some critics noted only women who previously served as state prosecutors were appointed as judges.