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New Mexico Supreme Court justice vacancy: Petra Jimenez Maes (December 2018)
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| Maes Vacancy New Mexico Supreme Court |
| Vacancy date |
| Vacancy status |
| Nomination date |
| January 25, 2019 |
| Table of contents |
|
Appointee candidates Selection process About Justice Maes |
| See also |
| Recent news External links Footnotes |
New Mexico Supreme Court Justice Petra Jimenez Maes retired on December 31, 2018.[1] Under New Mexico law, vacancies are filled through a merit selection nominating system.[1] David Thomson, Maes' replacement on the five-member court, was appointed by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) on January 25, 2019.
The appointee
- See also: David Thomson
At the time of his supreme court appointment, Thomson was a judge of the First Judicial District Court in New Mexico. He was elected in November 2014.[2] He had previously served on the court in 2010. Governor Bill Richardson (D) appointed him to the bench on March 29, 2010, but Thomson lost the election that November.[3]
Thomson obtained a bachelor's degree from Wesleyan University and earned a J.D. from the University of Denver College of Law.[4]
The selection process
The five justices of the New Mexico Supreme Court are chosen through assisted gubernatorial appointment. The new appointee must stand in the next partisan election after his or her appointment. Subsequent terms are acquired in yes-no retention elections wherein sitting judges must receive 57 percent of the vote to retain their seat.[5]
Under the New Mexico Constitution, judges' terms begin on January 1 following their election or retention.
Qualifications
To serve on either of these courts, a judge must:
- be the minimum age of 35;
- have practiced law for the ten years preceding assumption of office;
- be a state resident of at least three years preceding assumption of office.[5]
Appointee candidates and nominations
On December 6, 2018, the state Judicial Nominating Commission announced it received 14 applications for the supreme court positions of Charles Daniels and Petra Jimenez Maes.[6]
The information provided in the list below was current at the time of the applications.
- C. Shannon Bacon, a district court judge in the New Mexico Second Judicial District Court. Bacon joined the Second Judicial District in 2010 after an appointment from Gov. Bill Richardson (D). Bacon attended Creighton University for her B.A. in history, secondary education, and Spanish. She received her J.D. from Creighton University School of Law.
- Beatrice Brickhouse, a district court judge in the New Mexico Second Judicial District Court. She joined the court in 2009 after an appointment from Gov. Richardson. Brickhouse received her undergraduate degree from Western Illinois University and her J.D. from the University of Arizona.
- Geenebah Michelle Brown-Yazzie, the chief judge for the Pueblo of Zia, according to her LinkedIn profile.[7]
- James Waylon Counts, chief judge of the New Mexico Twelfth Judicial District Court. Counts joined the court in 1999. He received both his undergraduate degree and J.D. from the University of New Mexico.
- George Phillip Eichwald, a district court judge in the New Mexico Thirteenth Judicial District Court. He joined the court in 2004 after an appointment from Gov. Richardson. Eichwald received both his undergraduate and J.D. from the University of New Mexico.
- T. Glenn Ellington, a judge on the New Mexico First Judicial District Court, Division 7. Ellington was elected to the court in 2010. He served as a judge on the New Mexico Court of Appeals from 2000 to 2001 and was also a district judge for the First Judicial District Court from 1997 to 2000. Ellington received his undergraduate degree from New Mexico State University and his J.D. from the University of New Mexico School of Law. He also received a certificate of general jurisdiction from the National Judicial College in Reno.
- Damon Paul Martinez, a former United States attorney (2014-2017). Martinez ran as a Democratic candidate for New Mexico's 1st Congressional District in the U.S. House. He was defeated in the primary on June 5, 2018. Martinez earned his B.A., M.B.A., and J.D. from the University of New Mexico.
- Jeff Foster McElroy, a judge for the New Mexico Eighth Judicial District Court. McElroy was elected to the court in 2012. He received his B.A. degree from St. John's College and his J.D. from the University of New Mexico School of Law.
- Mel “Dylan” O’Reilly, an attorney at Miller Stratvert Law Offices in Santa Fe. O'Reilly earned a B.A. from Oberlin College and a J.D. from the University of New Mexico School of Law.[8]
- Arthur William Pepin, director of the Administrative Office of the Courts. He began serving in this position in 2006.[9]
- William Daniel Slease, chief disciplinary counsel for the New Mexico Supreme Court Disciplinary Board and adjunct professor at the University of New Mexico School of Law.[10] Slease obtained bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of New Mexico and earned a J.D. from the University of New Mexico School of Law.[11]
- David K. Thomson, a judge of the New Mexico First Judicial District Court. Thomson was elected to the court in 2014. He previously served on the court in 2010 after an appointment from Gov. Richardson. Thomson lost election to the seat later that year. Thomson has a J.D. from the University of Denver College of Law.
- Jane Bloom Yohalem, an attorney who began her own private practice in 1997. Yohalem obtained a B.A. from Yale University.[12]
- Linda Miriam Vanzi, chief judge of the New Mexico Court of Appeals. Vanzi was appointed to the appellate court by Gov. Richardson in 2008. She was a judge on the Second Judicial District Court from 2004 to 2008. She received her undergraduate degree in English and French from Marymount College in 1977 and her J.D. from the University of New Mexico School of Law in 1995.
About Justice Maes
Petra Jimenez Maes was appointed to the New Mexico Supreme Court on November 3, 1998, by Republican Governor Gary Johnson. Maes was retained by voters in 2010 to another eight-year term that expired on December 31, 2018. She was the first Hispanic woman on the New Mexico Supreme Court.
On January 8, 2003, she was designated by unanimous vote of her colleagues to serve as chief justice, becoming the first female Hispanic chief justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court. She served in this position until 2005.[13] In 2012, she became chief justice for a second time and served through 2014.[14]
Prior to her appointment to the Supreme Court, Maes was a judge on the New Mexico First Judicial District Court and worked as an attorney for the North New Mexico Legal Services and in private practice.[15]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 New Mexico Courts, "Two Justices of the New Mexico Supreme Court not seeking retention in the general election," June 28, 2018
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedcandidate2014 - ↑ Rio Grande Sun "Court Picks For June Primary," May 20, 2010
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedappt - ↑ 5.0 5.1 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: New Mexico," archived October 3, 2014
- ↑ Santa Fe New Mexican, "14 applicants seeking seat on New Mexico Supreme Court," December 6, 2018
- ↑ LinkedIn, "G. Michelle Brown-Yazzie," accessed December 14, 2018
- ↑ Miller Stratvert Law Offices, "M. Dylan O'Reilly," accessed December 14, 2018
- ↑ National Center for State Courts, "New Mexico Court Director named to leadership positions in two national court organizations," July 27, 2016
- ↑ American Bar Association, "William D. Slease," March 30, 2017
- ↑ Albuquerque Journal, "UPDATED: State Supreme Court Picks ABQ Lawyer as Disciplinary Counsel," November 5, 2010
- ↑ U.S. News & World Report: Lawyers, "Jane Bloom Yohalem," accessed December 14, 2018
- ↑ New Mexico Supreme Court, "Biographical Data: Honorable Petra Jimenez Maes," archived July 15, 2012
- ↑ The Republic, "Justice Petra Jimenez Maez takes over as chief justice of New Mexico Supreme Court," April 4, 2012
- ↑ New Mexico Supreme Court, "Honorable Petra Jimenez Maes," archived August 7, 2011
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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
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