Sarah M. Singleton
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Sarah M. Singleton was a district court judge in the First Judicial District of New Mexico. She was appointed by Gov. Bill Richardson (D) in 2009 and retired from the bench in August 2017.[1][2]
Biography
Singleton earned a B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College and a J.D. from Indiana University School of Law.[3]
Singleton worked in the appellate division of the New Mexico Public Defender's Office from 1974 to 1976, serving as the acting appellate defender in 1976. Her professional experience also included work as a founding partner of Pickard & Singleton, the owner of the Singleton Law Offices, and a partner at Montgomery & Andrews.[2][4]
Elections
2014
Singleton was retained to the 1st District Court with 80.0 percent of the vote on November 4, 2014. [5]
Judicial performance evaluation
The New Mexico Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission recommended that Judge Singleton be retained. The full report is available here.
2010
In 2010 Singleton ran for election to the seat she was appointed to in 2009. She defeated Peter V. Culbert in the Democratic primary, winning 78.1 percent of the vote and ran unopposed in the general election receiving 100 percent of the vote.[1][6]
- See also: New Mexico judicial elections, 2010
Endorsements
Singleton was endorsed by the Rio Grande Sun.[1]
Noteworthy cases
Singleton rules against funding system for New Mexico public schools (2018)
On July 20, 2018, a state judge ruled that New Mexico's funding system for public schools "violated the rights of at-risk students by failing to provide them with a uniform statewide system of free public schools sufficient for their education." Judge Sarah M. Singleton, of New Mexico's First Judicial Circuit, did not order a specific remedy. Instead, Singleton ordered public officials to "take steps to ensure the state’s schools receive the resources they need to provide students with an education that will prepare them for college and career" by April 15, 2019.[7]
On July 23, 2018, the state department of education announced that it would appeal Singleton's ruling. Public officials made no further comment on the suit, or Singleton's ruling, at that time.[8]
Same-sex marriage licenses to be issued in Santa Fe County (2013)
On August 22, 2013, Judge Singleton became the first New Mexico judge to rule that same-sex couples can be married. The judge wrote in her order:
| “ | [R]eading a sex or sexual orientation requirement into the laws of New Mexico violates the state constitution, which mandates that ‘equality of rights under law shall not be denied on account of the sex of any person.’[9][10] | ” |
The order came as a result of a lawsuit filed by Alexander Hanna and Yon Hudson. Judge Singleton ordered the County Clerk Geraldine Salazar to issue the couple a marriage license, which Salazar, as a self-proclaimed supporter of same-sex marriage was happy to do. Commissioner Liz Stefanics, a former state senator, and Linda Siegle became the first gay couple to get a marriage license in Santa Fe County. They were followed by Hanna and Hudson.[11]
The issue of gay marriage also surfaced in other New Mexico courts around the same time. The New Mexico Supreme Court ruled on August 22, the same day as Judge Singleton's ruling, that a photography company could not refuse to photograph a lesbian wedding.[12] On August 21, Doña Ana County Clerk Lynn Ellins decided on his own to start issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Following Judge Singleton's decision in Santa Fe County, District Judge Alan Malott made a similar ruling in Bernalillo County on August 26, arguing that denying same-sex marriage amounts to discrimination based on sexual orientation, which the New Mexico Constitution forbids.[13]
The rulings of Judge Singleton and Judge Malott, however, affected only the counties within their jurisdiction. New Mexico law does not currently ban same-sex marriage, nor does it explicitly approve it. The attorney general's office interpreted the law as prohibitive of gay marriage, but earlier 2013, the Santa Fe City Council passed a resolution recognizing gay marriage as legal.[9]
Statewide license investigation (2011)
In September 2011, following the return of undeliverable documents, Singleton authorized the state to investigate whether foreign nationals were still living in New Mexico, through the Residency Recertification Program. The state sent letters to 10,000 foreign nationals who hold driver's licenses. A lawsuit is pending that challenges the scope of the investigation, with the governor's administration and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund at odds.[14]
On August 31, 2011, Singleton issued a temporary restraining order against the administration.[15]
See also
- New Mexico Supreme Court
- News: Judge sides with New Mexico Land Commissioner in land swap dispute, January 15, 2012
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Rio Grande Sun "Court Picks for June Primary," May 20, 2010
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Santa Fe New Mexican, "Judge Presiding Over Two Significant Cases Announces Retirement," June 19, 2017
- ↑ Sarah M. Singleton campaign website, "Education," accessed July 20, 2010
- ↑ Sarah M. Singleton Campaign website, "Employment," accessed July 20, 2010
- ↑ New Mexico Secretary of State, "2014 Primary Candidate List," accessed June 4, 2015
- ↑ New Mexico Secretary of State, "2010 Primary Election Results," accessed June 4, 2015
- ↑ Santa Fe New Mexican, "Judge rules against state in landmark education-funding lawsuit," July 20, 2018
- ↑ Associated Press, "New Mexico to appeal ruling on adequacy of school funding," July 25, 2018
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 The Washington Post, "Second New Mexico County Clerk’s Office Starts Issuing Same-sex Marriage Licenses," August 22, 2013
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Huffington Post, "New Mexico Gay Marriage: Santa Fe County Begins Granting Licenses," August 23, 2013
- ↑ The Wall Street Journal - Law Blog, "Photographers Discriminated Against Gay Couple, Court Rules," August 22, 2013
- ↑ The Washington Times, "ACLU 'stunned' as N.M. Judge Rules Gay Marriage Legal, Despite Law," August 27, 2013
- ↑ NewsOK - Associated Press, "Court To Allow NM Check On Returned License Notices," September 13, 2011
- ↑ Santa Fe New Mexican, "Looking In: Governor Breaks Law with Recertification," September 12, 2011
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
