Carlos F. Lucero (born November 23, 1940) is an American attorney and jurist serving as a
senior United States circuit judge
In the United States, federal judges are judges who serve on courts established under Article Three of the U.S. Constitution. They include the chief justice and the associate justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, the circuit judges of the U.S. ...
of the
United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit (in case citations, 10th Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:
* District of Colorado
* District of Kansas
* Distr ...
.
Early life and education
Lucero was born in
Antonito,
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...
. He received a
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...
degree from
Adams State College in 1961 and a
Juris Doctor from the
George Washington University Law School in 1964.
Career
Lucero served as a
law clerk for Judge
William Edward Doyle
William Edward Doyle (February 5, 1911 – May 2, 1986) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit and previously was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Di ...
of the
United States District Court for the District of Colorado
The United States District Court for the District of Colorado (in case citations, D. Colo. or D. Col.) is a federal court in the Tenth Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are a ...
from 1964 to 1965. He worked in private practice of law in
Alamosa
Alamosa is a home rule municipality and the county seat of Alamosa County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 9,806 at the 2020 United States Census. The city is the commercial center of the San Luis Valley in south-central Colora ...
,
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...
from 1966 to 1995. He was an adjunct professor of legal studies at Adams State College from 1968 to 1995. He served as the first Hispanic president of the
Colorado Bar Association.
Federal judicial service
Lucero was nominated by President
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
on March 23, 1995, to the
United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit (in case citations, 10th Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:
* District of Colorado
* District of Kansas
* Distr ...
, to a new seat created by 104 Stat. 5089. He was confirmed by the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
on June 30, 1995, and received commission the same day. Lucero was the first
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...
judge to sit on the Tenth Circuit. He maintained his chambers in
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
. He assumed
senior status
Senior status is a form of semi- retirement for United States federal judges. To qualify, a judge in the federal court system must be at least 65 years old, and the sum of the judge's age and years of service as a federal judge must be at leas ...
on February 1, 2021.
On June 25, 2014, Lucero wrote the majority opinion for the ''
Kitchen v. Herbert'' case, which strikes down Utah's same-sex marriage ban as unconstitutional.
['' Kitchen v. Herbert'']
755 F.3d 1193
(10th Cir. 2014).
See also
*
List of Hispanic and Latino American jurists
This is a list of Hispanic/Latino Americans who are or were judges, magistrate judges, court commissioners, or administrative law judges. If known, it will be listed if a judge has served on multiple courts.
Other topics of interest
* List ...
*
List of first minority male lawyers and judges in Colorado
This is a list of the first minority male lawyer(s) and judge(s) in the U.S. State of Colorado. It includes the year in which the men were admitted to practice law (in parentheses). Also included are other distinctions such as the first minority ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lucero, Carlos F.
1940 births
Living people
20th-century American judges
21st-century American judges
Adams State University alumni
George Washington University Law School alumni
Hispanic and Latino American judges
Hispanic and Latino American lawyers
Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
People from Conejos County, Colorado
United States court of appeals judges appointed by Bill Clinton