United States District Court for the District of New Mexico

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: Christina Armijo, Robert Brack, Curtis Hansen, Judith Herrera, William P. Johnson, Martha Vazquez

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.

Vacancies

See also: Current federal judicial vacancies

There are no current vacancies on the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico, out of the court's seven judicial positions.

Pending nominations

There are no pending nominees for this court.

Active judges

Article III judges

Judge	Appointed By	Assumed Office	Bachelors	Law
James O. Browning	George W. Bush (R)	August 1, 2003 -	Yale, 1978	University of Virginia Law, 1981
Kenneth John Gonzales	Barack Obama (D)	August 9, 2013 -	University of New Mexico, 1988	University of New Mexico School of Law, 1994
Kea Riggs	Donald Trump (R)	December 31, 2019 -	University of Oklahoma, 1987	University of Oklahoma College of Law, 1990
Margaret Strickland	Joe Biden (D)	October 22, 2021 -	University of Texas, El Paso, 2003	New York University School of Law, 2006
David Herrera Urias	Joe Biden (D)	January 14, 2022 -	University of New Mexico, 1997	University of New Mexico School of Law, 2001
Matthew Garcia	Joe Biden (D)	February 21, 2023 -	The University of New Mexico	The University of New Mexico
Sarah Davenport	Joe Biden (D)	January 13, 2025 -	New Mexico State University, 1998	University of New Mexico School of Law, 2006

Active Article III judges by appointing political party

The list below displays the number of active judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences.

• Democratic appointed: 5
• Republican appointed: 2

Senior judges

Judge	Appointed By	Assumed Office	Bachelors	Law
Curtis Hansen	George H.W. Bush (R)	April 18, 2003 -	University of Iowa, 1956	University of New Mexico School of Law, 1961
Christina Armijo	George W. Bush (R)	February 7, 2018 -	University of New Mexico, 1972	University of New Mexico School of Law, 1975
Robert Brack	George W. Bush (R)	July 25, 2018 -	Eastern New Mexico University, 1975	University of New Mexico School of Law, 1978
Judith Herrera	George W. Bush (R)	July 1, 2019 -	University of New Mexico, 1976	Georgetown Law, 1979
Martha Vazquez		December 31, 2021 -	University of Notre Dame, 1975	University of Notre Dame, 1978
William P. Johnson	George W. Bush (R)	January 10, 2025 -	Virginia Military Institute, 1981	Washington and Lee University School of Law, 1985

Senior judges by appointing political party

The list below displays the number of senior judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences.

• Democratic appointed: 1
• Republican appointed: 5

Magistrate judges

Federal magistrate judges are federal judges who serve in United States district courts, but they are not appointed by the president and they do not serve life terms. Magistrate judges are assigned duties by the district judges in the district in which they serve. They may preside over most phases of federal proceedings, except for criminal felony trials. The specific duties of a magistrate judge vary from district to district, but the responsibilities always include handling matters that would otherwise be on the dockets of the district judges. Full-time magistrate judges serve for renewable terms of eight years. Some federal district courts have part-time magistrate judges, who serve for renewable terms of four years.

Judge	Appointed By	Assumed Office	Bachelors	Law
Carmen Garza	United States District Court for the District of New Mexico	August 23, 2006 -
Gregory Wormuth	United States District Court for the District of New Mexico	May 18, 2009 -	Davidson College, 1992	Wake Forest University School of Law, 1995
Stephan Vidmar	United States District Court for the District of New Mexico	December 27, 2011 -	United States Military Academy	University of Michigan
B. Paul Briones	United States District Court for the District of New Mexico	March 21, 2014 -
Steven C. Yarbrough	United States District Court for the District of New Mexico	May 7, 2014 -	Stanford	University of New Mexico, 1995
Kirtan Khalsa	United States District Court for the District of New Mexico	September 8, 2014 -
Laura N. Fashing	United States District Court for the District of New Mexico	September 1, 2015 -
Gregory J. Fouratt	United States District Court for the District of New Mexico	February 29, 2016 -
Kevin R. Sweazea	United States District Court for the District of New Mexico	May 3, 2017 -	New Mexico State University, 1985	Baylor University Law School, 1988
Jerry H. Ritter Jr.	United States District Court for the District of New Mexico	September 5, 2017 -	New Mexico State University	University of New Mexico
John Robbenhaar	United States District Court for the District of New Mexico	May 1, 2019 -		University of New Mexico School of Law

Former chief judges

In order to qualify for the office of chief judge in an Article III circuit or district court, or on the United States Court of International Trade, a judge must be in active service and hold seniority over the court's commissioned judges who are 64 years of age or under, have served one year or more, and have not previously served as chief judge.

In the event that no judge on the court meets those qualifications, the youngest judge in regular active service aged 65 years or more and who has served as a judge for one year or more shall become chief judge. If no judge meets those qualifications, the judge holding seniority in active service who has not served as chief before shall become the chief judge.

The chief judge serves for a term of seven years until another judge becomes eligible to serve in the position. No judge is permitted to serve as chief judge after reaching the age of 70 years unless no other judge is qualified to serve.

Unlike the chief justice of the United States, a chief judge returns to active service after the expiration of their term and does not create a vacancy on the court by the fact of their promotion.

On the United States Court of Federal Claims, the chief judge is selected by the president of the United States. The judge must be less than 70 years of age. A chief may serve until they reach age 70 or until another judge is designated by the president as the new chief judge. If the president selects a new chief judge, the former chief judge may continue active service on the court for the remainder of their appointed term.

Christina Armijo - (2012 - 2018) Bruce Black - (2010 - 2012) Martha Vazquez - (2003 - 2010) James A. Parker - (2000 - 2003) John Conway - (1994 - 2000) Juan Burciaga - (1989 - 1994) Santiago Campos - (1987 - 1989) Howard Bratton - (1978 - 1987) Harry Payne - (1964 - 1978) Waldo Rogers - (1963 - 1964) Carl Hatch - (1954 - 1963)

Former judges

For more information on judges of the District of New Mexico, see former federal judges of the District of New Mexico.

Jurisdiction

The Counties of New Mexico (click for larger map)

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.

Caseloads

This section contains court management statistics dating back to 2010. It was last updated in September 2024.

Click [show] below for more information on caseload terms and definitions.

Caseload statistics explanation
Term	Explanation
Cases filed and terminated	The number of civil and criminal lawsuits formally initiated or decided by the court in a calendar year. The chart below reflects the table columns Cases filed and Cases terminated.
Average time from filing to disposition	The average amount of time, in months, from a case's date of filing to date of disposition (acquittal, sentencing, dismissal, etc.). The chart below reflects the table columns Median time (Criminal) and Median time (Civil).
Starting case load	The number of cases pending from the previous calendar year.
Cases filed	The number of civil and criminal lawsuits formally initiated in a calendar year.
Cases terminated	The total number of civil and criminal lawsuits decided by the court in a calendar year.
Remaining cases	The number of civil and criminal cases pending at the end of a given year.
Median time (Criminal)	The average amount of time, in months, from a case's date of filing to the date of disposition. In criminal cases, the date of disposition occurs on the day of sentencing or acquittal/dismissal.
Median time (Civil)	The average amount of time, in months, from a case's date of filing to the date of disposition.
Three-year civil cases	The number and percent of civil cases that were filed more than three years before the end of the given calendar year.
Vacant posts	The number of months during the year an authorized judgeship was vacant.
Trial/Post	The number of trials completed divided by the number of authorized judgeships on the court. Trials include evidentiary trials, hearings on temporary restraining orders, and preliminary injunctions.
Source: United States Courts, "Explanation of the Judicial Caseload Profiles for United States District Courts," accessed September 25, 2018

United States District Court for the District of New Mexico caseload stats, 2010-2023
Year	Cases Filed	Cases Terminated	Cases Pending	Number of Judgeships	Vacant Judgeship Months	Average Total Filings per Judgeship	Trials Completed per Judgeship	Median time from filing to disposition, criminal	Median time from filing to disposition, civil	Three-year civil cases (#)	Three-year civil cases (%)
2010	5,491	5,427	2,968	7	0	784	25	2	9	233	18
2011	4,601	4,666	2,349	7	0	658	26	2	9	60	6
2012	4,993	4,760	2,643	7	3	713	21	1	8	69	5
2013	6,009	5,796	3,040	7	6	858	16	1	10	86	6
2014	6,282	6,446	2,839	7	0	897	15	1	11	72	6
2015	6,653	6,470	2,986	7	0	950	14	1	11	84	7
2016	6,908	6,803	3,131	7	0	987	15	1	11	85	6
2017	5,625	5,817	2,929	7	0	804	16	1	10	85	7
2018	6,100	5,983	3,026	7	16	871	16	1	11	75	6
2019	6,572	6,205	3,368	7	30	939	16	1	10	99	7
2020	4,128	4,149	3,248	7	24	590	9	3	9	118	8
2021	3,770	3,545	3,464	7	24	539	13	5	10	138	10
2022	3,711	4,251	2,880	7	12	530	12	4	12	129	11
2023	3,769	3,898	2,769	7	1	538	12	4	10	143	12
Average	5,329	5,301	2,974	7	8	761	16	2	10	105	8

History

The District of New Mexico was established by Congress on June 20, 1910, with one post to cover the entire state. Over time, six additional judicial posts were added for a total of five current posts.

Judicial posts

The following table highlights the development of judicial posts for the District of New Mexico:

Year	Statute	Total Seats
June 20, 1910	36 Stat. 557	1
September 14, 1922	42 Stat. 837	2(1 Temporary)
1929	Post expired	1
February 10, 1954	68 Stat. 8	2(1 Temporary)
May 19, 1961	75 Stat. 80	2
June 2, 1970	84 Stat. 294	3
October 20, 1978	92 Stat. 1629	4
December 1, 1990	104 Stat. 5089	5
December 21, 2000	114 Stat. 2762	6
November 2, 2002	116 Stat. 1758	7(1 Temporary)

Noteworthy cases

For a searchable list of opinions, please see Opinions for the District of New Mexico.

• US Airways case (2009)      Judge(s):Christina Armijo	Click for summary→
On October 9, 2009, Judge Armijo ruled in favor of the New Mexico Department of Regulation and Licensing after US Airways sued the chief licensing arm of the State of New Mexico in 2007. US Airways sued after claiming that the State of New Mexico had no jurisdiction on taking away the company's liquour licenses for on-board service on US Airways flights after the airline was cited for overserving passengers in the past. Judge Armijo found that the State of New Mexico had jurisdiction to regulate alcohol even in airspace, citing two major airline industry laws that do not exempt airlines from in-state liquor regulations.

• Political mailer lawsuit (2009)      Judge(s):Judith Herrera (New Mexico Youth Organized, et. al v. Mary Herrera, 1:2008-cv-01156)	Click for summary→
On August 3, 2009, Judge Herrera ruled in favor of two nonprofit associations after they sued the state over requirements that they must register as political action committees. The New Mexico Youth Organized and SouthWest Organizing Project sent mailers to prospective voters as the organizations expressed criticism towards candidates in 2008. The judge ruled that the actions of the New Mexico Attorney General to require the organizations to register as PACs subjected them to a greater burden over most nonprofits.

About United States District Courts

The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal courts. There are 94 such courts. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of both law and equity.

There is a United States bankruptcy court and a number of bankruptcy judges associated with each United States district court. Each federal judicial district has at least one courthouse, and most districts have more than one.

There is at least one judicial district for each state, and one each for Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. District courts in three insular areas—the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands—exercise the same jurisdiction as U.S. district courts. Despite their name, these courts are technically not District Courts of the United States. Judges on these territorial courts do not enjoy the protections of Article III of the Constitution, and serve terms of 10 years rather than for life.

There are 677 U.S. District Court judgeships.

The number of federal district judge positions is set by the U.S. Congress in Title 28 of the U.S. Code, Section 133, which authorizes a set number of judge positions, or judgeships, making changes and adjustments in these numbers from time to time.

In order to relieve the pressure of trying the hundreds of thousands of cases brought before the federal district courts each year, many trials are tried by juries, along with a presiding judge.

Appointments by president

The chart below shows the number of district court judges confirmed by the U.S. Senate through June 1 of the first year of presidents' second term in office. At this point in the term, President Obama had the most district court appointments with 14.

Judges by district

See also: Judicial vacancies in federal courts

The table below displays the number of judges in each district and indicates how many were appointed by presidents from each major political party. It also includes the number of vacancies in a district and how many pending nominations for that district are before the United States Senate. The table can be sorted by clicking the column headers above the line, and you can navigate through the pages by clicking the arrows at the top of the table. It is updated every Monday.

Judicial selection

The district courts are served by Article III federal judges who are appointed for life during "good behavior." They are usually first recommended by senators (or members of the House, occasionally). The President of the United States makes the appointments, which must then be confirmed by the U.S. Senate in accordance with Article III of the United States Constitution.

Step	A Candidacy Proceeds	A Candidacy Halts
1. Recommendation made by Congress Member to the President	President Nominates to Senate Judiciary Committee	President Declines Nomination
2. Senate Judiciary Committee interviews Candidate	Sends candidate to Senate for confirmation	Returns candidate to President, who may re-nominate to Committee
3. Senate votes on candidate confirmation	Candidate becomes federal judge	Candidate does not receive judgeship

Magistrate judges

The district courts are also served by magistrate judges. Congress created the judicial office of federal magistrate in 1968. In 1990, the position title was changed to magistrate judge. The chief judge of each district appoints one or more magistrate judges, who discharge many of the ancillary duties of district judges so judges can handle more trials. There are both full-time and part-time magistrate judge positions, and these positions are assigned to the district courts according to caseload criteria (subject to funding by Congress). A full-time magistrate judge serves a term of eight years; a part-time magistrate judge's term of office is four years.

See also

• United States Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit
• District of Colorado
• District of Kansas
• District of New Mexico
• Eastern District of Oklahoma
• Northern District of Oklahoma
• Western District of Oklahoma
• District of Utah
• District of Wyoming

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• United States District Court for the District of New Mexico Official Website