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Brenda Saiz
Brenda M. Saiz is a director at Rodey, Dickason, Sloan, Akin, & Robb, P.A., in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
On June 18, 2020, President Donald Trump (R) nominated Saiz to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico. Saiz's nomination was returned to the president at the sine die adjournment of the U.S. Senate on January 3, 2021. Click here for more information on Saiz's federal judicial nomination.
The United States District Court for the District of New Mexico is one of 94 U.S. District Courts. They are the general trial courts of the United States federal courts. To learn more about the court, click here.
Judicial nominations and appointments
United States District Court for the District of New Mexico
- See also: Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump
On June 18, 2020, President Donald Trump (R) nominated Saiz to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico.[1] To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.
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| Nominee Information |
| Name: Brenda Saiz |
| Court: United States District Court for the District of New Mexico |
| Progress |
| Returned 199 days after nomination. |
 Nominated: June 18, 2020
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| ABA Rating: Well qualified
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| Questionnaire: |
 Hearing:
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| QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more) |
| Reported:
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| Confirmed:
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| Returned: January 3, 2021
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Opposition from home-state senators
- See also: Blue slip (federal judicial nominations)
President Donald Trump (R) nominated Fred Federici and Brenda Saiz to seats on the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico on June 18, 2020.
New Mexico Sens. Tom Udall (D) and Martin Heinrich (D) said in a joint statement in September that they were withholding their blue slips because "the President insisted on politicizing the judicial appointment process." They said they would pause the process "given the close proximity to the election, and will continue to work expeditiously to fill these vacancies once the American people have spoken."[2]
The Albuquerque Journal Editorial Board defended Federici and Saiz, arguing they had "excellent backgrounds and reputations." The board also pointed to the vacancies on the District of New Mexico and the number of cases per judge: "The district now has only five of seven authorized full-time judges, and before the confirmation of Judge Kea Riggs last year, each judge had more than 900 cases."[3]
Nomination
On May 28, 2020, President Donald Trump (R) announced his intent to nominate Saiz to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico.[4] The president officially submitted the nomination on June 18. Saiz's nomination was returned to the president at the sine die adjournment of the U.S. Senate on January 3, 2021.[5]
Saiz was nominated to replace Judge Judith Herrera, who assumed senior status on July 1, 2019.
The American Bar Association rated Saiz well qualified for the position.[6] To read more about ABA ratings, click here.
Education
Saiz obtained her B.A. in English from the University of New Mexico in 1993 and her J.D. from the University of New Mexico School of Law in 2003. During her legal studies, Saiz was a manuscript editor for the New Mexico Law Review, a member of the UNMSOL National Mock Trial Team, and the recipient of the Jerry Roehl Award for Outstanding Advocacy and the Lewis Powell Medal for Excellence in Advocacy.[7]
Professional career
Saiz is a director at Rodey, Dickason, Sloan, Akin, & Robb, P.A., in Albuquerque, New Mexico.[4]
Associations
- Member, New Mexico Defense Lawyers Association
- Member, Trucking Industry Defense Association
- Member, Transportation Lawyers Association
- Former member, Magistrate Judge Merit Selection Panel, United States District Court
- Albuquerque Bar Association[7]
About the court
| District of New Mexico |
|---|
| Tenth Circuit |
|
| Judgeships |
| Posts: 7 |
| Judges: 7 |
| Vacancies: 0 |
| Judges |
| Chief: William P. Johnson |
| Active judges: James O. Browning, Sarah Davenport, Matthew Garcia, Kenneth John Gonzales, David Herrera Urias, Kea Riggs, Margaret Strickland Senior judges: |
The United States District Court for the District of New Mexico is one of 94 United States district courts. The district operates out of courtrooms in Albuquerque, Las Cruces, Santa Fe, and Roswell, N.M. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit based in downtown Denver, Colorado at the Byron White Federal Courthouse.
The District of New Mexico has original jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.
The jurisdiction of the District of New Mexico consists of all the counties in the state of New Mexico.
Court is held in Albuquerque, Las Cruces, Roswell, Santa Fe, and Silver City.
To read opinions published by this court, click here.
The federal nomination process
Federal judges are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. There are multiple steps to the process:
- The president nominates an individual for a judicial seat.
- The nominee fills out a questionnaire and is reviewed by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
- The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing with the nominee, questioning them about things like their judicial philosophy, past rulings or opinions, etc.
- As part of this process, the committee sends a blue slip to senators from the home state in which the judicial nomination was received, allowing them to express their approval or disapproval of the nominee.
- After the hearing, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote to approve or return the nominee.
- If approved, the nominee is voted on by the full Senate.
- If the Committee votes to return the nominee to the president, the president has the opportunity to re-nominate the individual.
- The Senate holds a vote on the candidate.
- If the Senate confirms the nomination, the nominee receives a commission to serve a lifelong position as a federal judge.
- If the Senate does not confirm the nomination, that nominee does not become a judge.
See also
- United States District Court for the District of New Mexico
- United States Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Profile from Rodey Law
- United States District Court for the District of New Mexico
- United States Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit
Footnotes
- ↑ Congress.gov, "PN2028 — Brenda M. Saiz — The Judiciary," accessed June 19, 2020
- ↑ Las Cruces Sun News, "Udall, Heinrich hold up Trump judicial appointments," September 25, 2020
- ↑ Albuquerque Journal, "Editorial: NM’s senators put judges on pause, do state a disservice," September 29, 2020
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 WhiteHouse.gov, "President Donald J. Trump Announces Judicial Nominees," May 28, 2020
- ↑ Under Senate Rule XXXI, paragraph 6 of the Standing Rules of the Senate, pending nominations are returned to the president if the Senate adjourns sine die or recesses for more than 30 days.
- ↑ American Bar Association, "Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary: Ratings of Article III and Article IV judicial nominees: 116th Congress," accessed September 2, 2020
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Rodey Law, "Brenda M. Saiz," accessed May 28, 2020
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
