Following the inauguration of President
Grover Cleveland, Rouse requested appointment as a judge in either
Utah or
New Mexico Territory. He expanded his list to include
Arizona Territory several months later. He was appointed Arizona's
United States District Attorney on November 2, 1885. Justice
William Wood Porter administered Rouse's oath of office on November 20. On May 24, 1889, following the inauguration of President
Benjamin Harrison, Rouse submitted his resignation. He remained in
Tucson, and established a private legal practice. Fraternally, he was a
Mason and served as grand commander for the
Knights Templar. President Cleveland returned to office and nominated Rouse to become an Associate Justice of the Arizona Territorial Supreme Court on April 25, 1893. He took his oath of office on May 2, 1893. He was assigned to district two, comprising
Gila,
Graham, and
Pinal counties. Rouse lived in
Solomonville during his years on the court. When rumors circulated in 1895 and 1896 that Chief Justice
Albert C. Baker planned to resign, Rouse's friends began lobbying for him to be made the new Chief Justice. As a member of the territorial supreme court, Rouse wrote over two dozen opinions covering a wide range of topics. In
Gray v. Noonan, 5 Arizona 167 (1897), he dealt with
attachment of property during the execution of a
judgement while
In re Sydow, 4 Arizona 207 (1894) involved the licensing of shopkeepers.
Arizona Lumber and Timber Company v. Mooney, 4 Arizona 366 (1895) dealt with the impact of a
hierarchical employment relationship in
personal injury cases.
Meyers c. Culver, 4 Arizona 145 was concerned with the elections for
justices of the peace. In
The United States v. Chung Sing, 4 Arizona 217 (1894), Rouse set a pair of
precedents. First, he found that while either party in a jury trial could request a particular item be included in a set of
jury instructions, the trial judge was not required to honor all requests. Second, a trial judge could set aside a jury's verdict without being overruled by an appellate court provided the judge had evidence to support his actions. Rouse's ruling in
Harwood v. Wentworth, 4 Arizona 378 (1895), held that the version of a legislative act certified by the territorial secretary was authoritative even if it differed from version in the legislative journal. This decision was later confirmed by the
United States Supreme Court. In
Dunbar v. Territory of Arizona, 5 Arizona 184 (1897), Rouse overturned journalist John O. Dunbar's conviction for libeling the governor and territorial secretary because the trial court had both fined and sentenced the defendant to time in a county jail instead of following the normal procedure of sending a convicted defendant to the territorial prison. Rouse was close to completing his four-year term when his replacement was appointed. His successor took his oath of office on July 20, 1897. After leaving the
bench, Rouse returned to his private legal practice in Tucson. In 1911, he was a candidate for a seat on the
Arizona Supreme Court. He continued working at his legal practice until his death. ==Death==