Edward Chavez
Edward L. Chavez was a justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court. Chavez was appointed to the supreme court by Governor Bill Richardson (D) on January 30, 2003. He took office on March 10, 2003.[1] He was retained in 2014 for a term that would have expired on December 31, 2022.[2] He retired from the court in March 2018.[3]
Education
Chavez received his undergraduate degree from Eastern New Mexico University in 1978 and his J.D. from the University of New Mexico School of Law in 1981.[4]
Career
- 2003-2018: Justice, New Mexico Supreme Court
- 1981-2003: Attorney in private practice
Chavez has also taught at the University of New Mexico School of Law and the National Institute of Trial Advocacy.[4]
Awards and associations
Associations
- Past president, Legal Aid Society of Albuquerque
- Past chairman, University of New Mexico Mental Health Center
- Past chairman, Disciplinary Board
- Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers
- Fellow, International Academy of Trial Laywers[4]
Elections
2014
Chavez was retained to the New Mexico Supreme Court with 73.2 percent of the vote on November 4, 2014. [2]
Judicial performance evaluation
The New Mexico Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission recommended that Justice Chavez be retained. The full report is available here.
2006
Chavez was retained in 2006, winning 76.7 percent of the vote.[5]
Political contributions
According to campaign finance records, Chavez contributed to the campaigns of multiple Democratic candidates prior to joining the New Mexico Supreme Court.[6][7]
| Year | Race | Candidate | Contribution | Won/Lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | New Mexico House of Representatives | Alfred Park (D) | $100 | Won |
| 2002 | Governor of New Mexico | Bill Richardson (D) | $800 | Won |
| 2002 | New Mexico House of Representatives | W. Ken Martinez (D) | $500 | Won |
| 2002 | New Mexico House of Representatives | Alfred Park (D) | $200 | Won |
| 2002 | New Mexico Supreme Court | Richard Bosson (D) | $200 | Won |
Political donors
The following table includes the five organizations that donated the most to Chavez's campaigns for the New Mexico Supreme Court, according to publicly available campaign finance information.[8]
| Donor | Contribution |
|---|---|
| New Mexico Trial Lawyers Association | $10,000 |
| Moving America Forward | $10,000 |
| Carpenter Stout Ltd. | $5,000 |
| Shapiro Bettinger | $5,000 |
| Law Offices of Damon B. Ely | $4,796 |
Political ideology
In October 2012, political science professors Adam Bonica and Michael Woodruff of Stanford University attempted to determine the partisan ideology of state supreme court justices. They created a scoring system in which a score above 0 indicated a more conservative-leaning ideology, while scores below 0 were more liberal.
Chavez received a campaign finance score of -1.13, indicating a liberal ideological leaning. This was less liberal than the average score of -1.18 that justices received in New Mexico.
The study was based on data from campaign contributions by the judges themselves, the partisan leaning of those who contributed to the judges' campaigns, or, in the absence of elections, the ideology of the appointing body (governor or legislature). This study was not a definitive label of a justice, but an academic summary of various relevant factors.[9]
See also
External links
- New Mexico Supreme Court, "Justice Edward L. Chavez"
- theNewspaper.com, "New Mexico Supreme Court Overturns DUI Without Driving," June 14, 2010
Footnotes
- ↑ New Mexico Supreme Court, "Justices since statehood," accessed August 27, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 New Mexico Secretary of State, "2014 Primary Candidate List," accessed August 27, 2016
- ↑ Santa Fe New Mexican, "Commission nominates 2 for New Mexico Supreme Court seat," April 5, 2018
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 New Mexico Supreme Court, "Justice Edward L. Chavez," accessed August 14, 2014
- ↑ New Mexico Secretary of State, "2006 General Election Results," accessed August 27, 2016
- ↑ Follow the Money, "Edward Chavez," accessed June 17, 2016
- ↑ Follow the Money, "Edward Chavez," accessed August 23, 2016
- ↑ Follow the Money, "Edward Chavez," accessed August 23, 2016
- ↑ Stanford University, "State Supreme Court Ideology and 'New Style' Judicial Campaigns," October 31, 2012
Federal courts:
Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of New Mexico • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of New Mexico
State courts:
New Mexico Supreme Court • New Mexico Court of Appeals • New Mexico District Courts • New Mexico Magistrate Court • New Mexico Municipal Courts • New Mexico Probate Courts • New Mexico Problem-Solving Courts • New Mexico Workers' Compensation Administration Court • Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court
State resources:
Courts in New Mexico • New Mexico judicial elections • Judicial selection in New Mexico
