Governor appoints two state district court judges
11th Judicial District Court Judge Brenna Clani-Washinawatok. (Courtesy photo)
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Friday announced appointments of two state district court judges, one in her hometown of Albuquerque and the other in the state's northwest corner.
Matthew Chavez on March 15 will become a judge in the Second Judicial District Court in Albuquerque, which has a total of 30 judges.
Brenna Clani-Washinawatok on Saturday became a judge in the 11th Judicial District Court in Aztec and Gallup, which has eight judges in total.
Chavez will leave his current post as chief legal counsel for the state Department of Public Safety. He was previously a public defender at the Law Offices of the Public Defender's Second Judicial District Office in Albuquerque, according to a news release from the governor's office.
Chavez is taking the seat formerly held by Judge Stan Whitaker, who is retiring after 18 years on the bench.
Clani-Washinawatok is a child support hearing officer and has provided legal counsel to the New Mexico Health Care Authority's Child Support Division for more than a decade, according to a news release.
An enrolled member of Navajo Nation, she is the first Native American to serve as an 11th Judicial District Court judge, according to a news release the court published in February.
'It is a great honor and humbling experience to serve the people of San Juan and McKinley counties as a judge,' Clani-Washinawatok said in a statement. 'I am guided by the rule of law, and look forward to working with the dedicated employees and judges of the court to provide fair and impartial justice for all.'
Clani-Washinawatok replaces Judge Daylene Marsh, who is also retiring after 12 years.
Both Chavez and Clani-Washinawatok graduated from the University of New Mexico School of Law. She was admitted to the State Bar of New Mexico in 2005, and he was admitted in 2012.
According to the law school's Judicial Nominating Commission, one vacancy remains in New Mexico's district courts: a seat on the bench at the 12th Judicial District Court in Alamogordo.
The nominating commission for the court will meet on March 19 to screen the three people who have applied: Jane Elizabeth Granier, Albert Richard Greene III and Lori Lee Gibson Willard.
District court judges serve six-year terms and handle most of the state court system's trials, in which they rule on criminal prosecutions and resolve disputes in civil cases.
Their rulings can be appealed to the New Mexico Court of Appeals and, depending on the case, the New Mexico Supreme Court. District courts can also hear appeals of rulings by magistrate courts.
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