Andrea Rowley Reeb is an American attorney and politician serving as a member of the

New Mexico House of Representatives The New Mexico House of Representatives () is the lower house of the New Mexico State Legislature. There are 70 members of the House. Each member represents roughly 25,980 residents of New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the South ...

for the 64th district. Elected in November 2022, she assumed office on January 1, 2023.

Early life and education

Reeb was born in

Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...

, and raised in

Clovis, New Mexico Clovis is a city in and the county seat of Curry County, New Mexico. The population was 38,567 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Clovis is located in the New Mexico portion of the Llano Estacado, in the eastern part of the state. A ...

. After graduating from Clovis High School in 1989, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from

Creighton University Creighton University () is a private research university in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1878, the university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. In 2015 the university enrolled 8,393 graduate ...

and a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

from the Creighton University School of Law.

Career

Reeb was elected district attorney for New Mexico's Ninth Judicial District in 2014 and served until March 2022. She was elected to the

in November 2022 and assumed office on January 1, 2023. Reeb was appointed in August 2022 as a special prosecutor by

Santa Fe County Santa Fe County (; meaning "County of the Holy faith" in Spanish) is a county located in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2020 census, its population was 154,823, making it New Mexico's third-most populous county, after Bernalillo Count ...

's district attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies to assist in the investigation and prosecution of the shooting incident on the set of the film ''

Rust Rust is an iron oxide, a usually reddish-brown oxide formed by the reaction of iron and oxygen in the catalytic presence of water or air moisture. Rust consists of hydrous iron(III) oxides (Fe2O3·nH2O) and iron(III) oxide-hydroxide (FeO(OH) ...

'', in which prosecutors said they would charge actor

Alec Baldwin Alexander Rae Baldwin III (born April 3, 1958) is an American actor and film producer. He is known for his leading and supporting roles in a variety of genres, from comedy to drama. He has received List of awards and nominations received by A ...

with two counts of

involuntary manslaughter Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th ce ...

. In February 2023, prosecutors reduced the charges after Baldwin's attorneys successfully argued that prosecutors had charged him under a law which hadn't existed at the time the shooting occurred. An attorney for Baldwin's co-defendant said Reeb's comments from June 2022 present a "troubling picture of a prosecution that worried less about the law and facts than they did about wanting the limelight for personal political purposes." In an email to Mary Carmack-Altwies, the district attorney of Santa Fe County who appointed her, Reeb wrote, "At some point though I'd at least like to get out there that I am assisting you … as it might help in my campaign lol." Another Baldwin attorney, Luke Nikas, wrote: "Representative Reeb's prosecution of this case against Mr. Baldwin to advance her political career is a further abuse of the system and yet another violation of Mr. Baldwin’s constitutional rights." Baldwin's lawyers challenged Reeb's appointment though supervising prosecutors initially supported her role in the case. She recused herself, two weeks before a judge was expected to rule on whether or not she should be disqualified. Baldwin's attorney had petitioned to remove her because her new position as a legislator could violate the New Mexico constitution's

separation of powers The separation of powers principle functionally differentiates several types of state (polity), state power (usually Legislature#Legislation, law-making, adjudication, and Executive (government)#Function, execution) and requires these operat ...

clause. On April 21, 2023, charges against Baldwin were dropped by prosecutors who had been appointed to replace Reeb.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reeb, Andrea Living people American lawyers New Mexico lawyers Creighton University alumni Creighton University School of Law alumni Republican Party members of the New Mexico House of Representatives Women state legislators in New Mexico Lawyers from Ann Arbor, Michigan Politicians from Ann Arbor, Michigan People from Clovis, New Mexico People from Curry County, New Mexico Year of birth missing (living people) 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American women lawyers 21st-century American lawyers 21st-century American women lawyers 21st-century American women politicians District attorneys in New Mexico 21st-century members of the New Mexico Legislature