United States District Court for the District of New Mexico
The United States District Court for the District of New Mexico (in case citations, D.N.M.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the state of New Mexico. Court is held in Albuquerque, Las Cruces, Las Vegas, Roswell, Santa Fe, and Silver City.
United States District Court for the District of New Mexico | |
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(D.N.M.) | |
Location | Pete V. Domenici U.S. Courthouse |
Appeals to | Tenth Circuit |
Established | June 20, 1910 |
Judges | 7 |
Chief Judge | William Paul Johnson |
Officers of the court | |
U.S. Attorney | Fred Joseph Federici III |
U.S. Marshal | Sonya K. Chavez |
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Appeals from the District of New Mexico are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit).
The United States Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico represents the United States in civil and criminal litigation in the court. The current Acting United States Attorney is Fred Joseph Federici III since January 2021.
Along with the Western District of Texas, Southern District of Texas, and District of Arizona, it is one of the busiest district courts in terms of criminal felony filings.[1]
Current judges
As of December 31, 2019:
# | Title | Judge | Duty station | Born | Term of service | Appointed by | ||
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Active | Chief | Senior | ||||||
18 | Chief Judge | William Paul Johnson | Albuquerque | 1959 | 2001–present | 2018–present | — | G.W. Bush |
15 | District Judge | Martha Vázquez | Santa Fe | 1953 | 1993–present | 2003–2010 | — | Clinton |
20 | District Judge | James O. Browning | Albuquerque | 1956 | 2003–present | — | — | G.W. Bush |
22 | District Judge | Kenneth John Gonzales | Las Cruces | 1964 | 2013–present | — | — | Obama |
23 | District Judge | Kea W. Riggs | Albuquerque | 1965 | 2019–present | — | — | Trump |
24 | District Judge | vacant | — | — | — | — | — | — |
25 | District Judge | vacant | — | — | — | — | — | — |
13 | Senior Judge | James Aubrey Parker | Albuquerque | 1937 | 1987–2003 | 2000–2003 | 2003–present | Reagan |
14 | Senior Judge | Curtis LeRoy Hansen | inactive | 1933 | 1992–2003 | — | 2003–present | G.H.W. Bush |
17 | Senior Judge | M. Christina Armijo | inactive | 1951 | 2001–2018 | 2012–2018 | 2018–present | G.W. Bush |
19 | Senior Judge | Robert C. Brack | Las Cruces | 1953 | 2003–2018 | — | 2018–present | G.W. Bush |
21 | Senior Judge | Judith C. Herrera | Albuquerque | 1954 | 2004–2019 | — | 2019–present | G.W. Bush |
Vacancies and pending nominations
Seat | Prior Judge's Duty Station | Seat last held by | Vacancy reason | Date of vacancy | Nominee | Date of nomination |
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8 | Las Cruces | Robert C. Brack | Senior status | July 25, 2018 | – | – |
3 | Albuquerque | Judith C. Herrera | July 1, 2019 | – | – |
Former judges
# | Judge | State | Born–died | Active service | Chief Judge | Senior status | Appointed by | Reason for termination |
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1 | William Hayes Pope | NM | 1870–1916 | 1912–1916 | — | — | Taft | death |
2 | Colin Neblett | NM | 1875–1950 | 1917–1948 | — | 1948–1950 | Wilson | death |
3 | Orie Leon Phillips | NM | 1885–1974 | 1923–1929 | — | — | Harding | elevation to 10th Cir. |
4 | Carl Hatch | NM | 1889–1963 | 1949–1963 | 1954–1963 | 1963 | Truman | death |
5 | Waldo Henry Rogers | NM | 1908–1964 | 1954–1964 | 1963–1964 | — | Eisenhower | death |
6 | Harry Vearle Payne | NM | 1908–1983 | 1963–1978 | 1964–1978 | 1978–1983 | Kennedy | death |
7 | Howard C. Bratton | NM | 1922–2002 | 1964–1987 | 1978–1987 | 1987–2002 | L. Johnson | death |
8 | Edwin L. Mechem | NM | 1912–2002 | 1970–1982 | — | 1982–2002 | Nixon | death |
9 | Santiago E. Campos | NM | 1926–2001 | 1978–1992 | 1987–1989 | 1992–2001 | Carter | death |
10 | Juan Guerrero Burciaga | NM | 1929–1995 | 1979–1994 | 1989–1994 | 1994–1995 | Carter | death |
11 | Bobby Ray Baldock | NM | 1936–present | 1983–1986 | — | — | Reagan | elevation to 10th Cir. |
12 | John Edwards Conway | NM | 1934–2014 | 1986–2000 | 1994–2000 | 2000–2014 | Reagan | death |
16 | Bruce D. Black | NM | 1947–present | 1995–2012 | 2010–2012 | 2012–2017 | Clinton | retirement |
Chief judges
Chief judges have administrative responsibilities with respect to their district court. Unlike the Supreme Court, where one justice is specifically nominated to be chief, the office of chief judge rotates among the district court judges. To be chief, a judge must have been in active service on the court for at least one year, be under the age of 65, and have not previously served as chief judge. A vacancy is filled by the judge highest in seniority among the group of qualified judges. The chief judge serves for a term of seven years or until age 70, whichever occurs first. The age restrictions are waived if no members of the court would otherwise be qualified for the position.
When the office was created in 1948, the chief judge was the longest-serving judge who had not elected to retire on what has since 1958 been known as senior status or declined to serve as chief judge. After August 6, 1959, judges could not become or remain chief after turning 70 years old. The current rules have been in operation since October 1, 1982.
Succession of seats
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List of U.S. Attorneys
- Summers Burkhart (1913–1921)
- Norman Bay (2000–2001)
- David Iglesias (2001–2006)
- Larry Gomez (2006–2008)
- Gregory J. Fouratt (2008–2010)
- Kenneth John Gonzales (2010–2013)
- Damon Martinez (2014–2017)
- John C. Anderson (2018–present)
See also
References
- Pan, Jock (May 20, 2010). Federal Government of the United States.