Julie Vargas
2021 - Present
2028
4
Julie Vargas (Democratic Party) is a judge of the New Mexico Supreme Court. She assumed office on January 25, 2021. Her current term ends on December 31, 2028.
Vargas (Democratic Party) ran for re-election for judge of the New Mexico Supreme Court. She won in the general election on November 8, 2022.
Vargas was appointed to the New Mexico Supreme Court by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) on December 19, 2020, to succeed Justice Judith Nakamura (R).[1][2] To learn more about this appointment, click here.
Biography
Vargas graduated from Brown University in 1990 with a bachelor's degree in history and English literature. She then earned a J.D. from the University of New Mexico.[3] Before becoming a judge, she worked as a litigator with Hunt & Davis from 1993 to 2016. Her practice focused on commercial and personal injury law.[4]
Elections
2022
See also: New Mexico Supreme Court elections, 2022
General election
General election for New Mexico Supreme Court
Incumbent Julie Vargas defeated Thomas Montoya in the general election for New Mexico Supreme Court on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Julie Vargas (D) | 52.7 | 366,369 |
| Thomas Montoya (R) | 47.3 | 328,475 | ||
| Total votes: 694,844 | |||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for New Mexico Supreme Court
Incumbent Julie Vargas advanced from the Democratic primary for New Mexico Supreme Court on June 7, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Julie Vargas | 100.0 | 114,820 |
| Total votes: 114,820 | |||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for New Mexico Supreme Court
Thomas Montoya advanced from the Republican primary for New Mexico Supreme Court on June 7, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Thomas Montoya | 100.0 | 90,934 | |
| Total votes: 90,934 | |||
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2016
- See also: New Mexico judicial elections, 2016
Vargas was one of three candidates in consideration to be appointed to the New Mexico Court of Appeals in 2016 to fill a vacancy. Stephen French was ultimately selected by Gov. Susana Martinez (R).[4][5]
Vargas ran in the partisan election for the seat on the New Mexico Court of Appeals in the 2016 elections.[5] She was elected to the position on November 8, 2016, defeating French.
Appointments
2020
New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) appointed Julie Vargas to the New Mexico Supreme Court on December 19, 2020.[6] Vargas succeeded Justice Judith Nakamura, who retired retired on December 1, 2020. Vargas was Gov. Lujan Grisham's third nominee to the five-member supreme court.
Nakamura planned to retire on August 1, but she postponed the retirement date in June.[7][8][9] Nakamura joined the state supreme court in 2015. She served as chief justice from 2017 to 2020.
At the time of the appointment, state supreme court vacancies were filled through assisted gubernatorial appointment, where the governor would select a nominee based on recommendations from a judicial nominating commission.
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Julie Vargas did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
State supreme court judicial selection in New Mexico
- See also: Judicial selection in New Mexico
The five justices of the New Mexico Supreme Court are chosen through partisan elections. After serving for one year, the appointed justice must win the first partisan general election after their appointment to serve the remainder of the unexpired term. Justices serve eight-year terms.[10] To serve additional terms, justices must receive at least 57% of the vote in a retention election.[10]
Qualifications
To serve on the supreme court, a person must:
- be at least 35 years old;
- have practiced law for ten years before assuming office; and
- have been a New Mexico resident for three years before assuming office.[11]
Chief justice
The chief justice of the supreme court is selected by a peer vote of the justices to serve a two-year term. The chief justice must have been elected to the court, not appointed to fill a vacancy.[12]
Vacancies
In the event of a midterm vacancy, the governor appoints a justice from a list of qualified candidates recommended by a judicial nominating commission. The appointed judge will serve until the first general election held one year after their appointment. The appointee must run in that general election to serve the remainder of the unexpired term.[13]
The map below highlights how vacancies are filled in state supreme courts across the country.
See also
2022 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Office of the Governor: Michelle Lujan Grisham, "Gov. Lujan Grisham fills Supreme Court vacancy," December 19, 2020
- ↑ The Grant County Beat, "Supreme Court Justice Julie J. Vargas takes the oath of office," January 25, 2021
- ↑ Santa Fe New Mexican, "Appeals judge appointed to New Mexico Supreme Court," December 21, 2020
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Santa Fe New Mexican, "Panel sends governor three nominees for vacant appeals court seat," accessed February 4, 2016
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 The Washington Times, "Candidates vie for secretary of state post after scandal," accessed February 4, 2016
- ↑ Office of the Governor, "Gov. Lujan Grisham fills Supreme Court vacancy," December 19, 2020
- ↑ New Mexico Political Report, "Chief Justice Nakamura to retire in August," June 9, 2020
- ↑ Santa Fe New Mexican, "New Mexico Supreme Court's chief justice postpones retirement," June 26, 2020
- ↑ The University of New Mexico School of Law, "Judicial Vacancies," accessed September 25, 2020
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 New Mexico Secretary of State, "Constitution," accessed September 2, 2021 (Article VI Section 33) Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "nmconst33" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ New Mexico Secretary of State, "Constitution," accessed September 2, 2021 (Article VI Section 8)
- ↑ NMOneSource.com, "Current New Mexico Statutes Annotated 1978," accessed September 2, 2021 (Chapter 34 Article 2)
- ↑ New Mexico Secretary of State, "Constitution," accessed March 29, 2024 (Article VI Section 35)
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