Judith Nakamura (born November 3, 1960) is an American judge and former chief justice of the

New Mexico Supreme Court The New Mexico Supreme Court () is the highest court in the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is established and its powers defined by Article VI of the New Mexico Constitution. It is primarily an appellate court which reviews civil and criminal ...

. She was appointed to the court by

New Mexico Governor The governor of New Mexico () is the head of government of New Mexico. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New Mexico's state government and the commander-in-chief of the New Mexico National Guard. As noted in the governo ...

Susana Martinez Susana Martinez (born July 14, 1959) is an American politician and attorney who served as List of governors of New Mexico, 31st governor of New Mexico from 2011 to 2019. A Republican Party (United States), Republican, she served as chair of the ...

in 2015, and was re-elected in November 2016.

Early life

Nakamura was born and raised in

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; ) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. Founded in 1889 by the New Mexico Territorial Legislature, it is the state's second oldest university, a flagship university in th ...

in 1983 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

University of New Mexico School of Law The University of New Mexico School of Law (UNM Law or New Mexico Law) is the law school of the University of New Mexico, a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. Founded in 1947, it is the only law school in the st ...

in 1989.

Career

After graduating from college, she served as a political director for the Republican Party of New Mexico and as a staffer for U.S. Senator

Pete Domenici Pietro Vichi "Pete" Domenici ( ; May 7, 1932 – September 13, 2017) was an American attorney and politician who served as a United States Senator from New Mexico from 1973 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, he served six terms in ...

. After law school, Nakamura was an attorney in private practice, and for

New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands The New Mexico commissioner of public lands is an elected constitutional officer
''NM Elected Officials''

Judicial career

Nakamura was elected as a judge on the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court in 1998, and served as

Chief Judge Chief judge may refer to: In lower or circuit courts The highest-ranking or most senior member of a lower court or circuit court with more than one judge. * Chief judge (Australia) * Chief judge (United States) In supreme courts Some of Chief ...

of that court from 2002 to 2013. The Albuquerque Bar Association named Nakamura "Judge of the Year" in 2004. Governor

appointed Nakamura to New Mexico's Second Judicial District Court in 2013, and she was re-elected to a new term in 2014. In 2015, Governor Martinez named Nakamura to the

to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Richard C. Bosson. Her appointment gave the supreme court a female majority for the first time. She was sworn in on December 11, 2015. A lawsuit challenging Nakamura's appointment, because she was nominated before her predecessor had actually left office, was dismissed by the courts. Nakamura was re-elected to a new term on the Supreme Court in November 2016, defeating her Democratic challenger Michael Vigil by 391,000 votes to 361,000 (52% to 48%). Nakamura became the first Republican woman elected to the Court in the state's history, and the first Republican since 1980. On June 9, 2020, Nakamura announced that she would retire on August 1, but she later postponed her retirement. On December 1, Nakamura officially retired.

Personal life

Nakamura is an avid

balloonist In aeronautics, a balloon is an unpowered aerostat, which remains aloft or floats due to its buoyancy. A balloon may be free, moving with the wind, or tethered to a fixed point. It is distinct from an airship, which is a powered aerostat that ...

, who serves on the board of the

Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is a yearly hot air balloon festival that takes place in Albuquerque, New Mexico, during early October. The Balloon Fiesta is a nine-day event occurring in the first full week of October, and has ov ...

, which takes place in New Mexico each fall.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Nakamura, Judith 1960 births Living people 21st-century American judges 21st-century American women judges Chief justices of the New Mexico Supreme Court New Mexico Republicans Justices of the New Mexico Supreme Court University of New Mexico alumni Women chief justices of state supreme courts in the United States

Early life

Career

Judicial career

Personal life

See also

References