Javier Martínez is an American attorney, activist, and politician serving as a member of 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. The most recent elections were held on November 3, 2020. Composition Leadership Cu ...

from the 11th district, which includes

Bernalillo County, New Mexico Bernalillo County () is the most populous county in the U.S. state of New Mexico.Bernalillo Co ...

Early life and education

Martínez was raised in

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

. The son of immigrants, Martínez became the first in his family to attend college. He earned a bachelor's degree and

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

in international and comparative law from the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; es, Universidad de Nuevo México) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, it is the state's flagship academic institution and the largest by enrollment, with over 25,400 ...

Career

After graduating from law school, Martínez worked as a community organizer in

. Martínez works as a policy director and general counsel at the Partnership for Community Action in

South Valley, New Mexico South Valley is a census-designated place (CDP) and town in Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 40,976 at the 2010 Census. It is part of the Albuquerque Metropolitan Statistical Area. The U.S. Postal Service uses "Albu ...

, and previously worked as a public health advocate at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

. Martínez was elected to the

in 2014 and took office on January 20, 2015, succeeding Democratic incumbent

Rick Miera Rick S. Miera (born July 20, 1951 in Albuquerque, New Mexico) is an American politician who served as a member of the New Mexico House of Representatives, representing the 11th District. Miera did not seek reelection in 2014. Early life and educ ...

. On August 10, 2021, Martínez was selected to succeed

Sheryl Williams Stapleton Sheryl Williams Stapleton ( ; born July 30, 1957) is an American politician and educator who served as a member of the New Mexico House of Representatives from 1995 until her resignation in July 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, she also se ...

as majority leader of the House. In December 2022, a suspect shot at Martínez's home. No injuries were reported.

Solomon Peña Solomon Pena (born April 1983) is an American politician who was the Republican nominee for the 14th district of the New Mexico House of Representatives in 2022. Pena attracted national attention when he was arrested on January 16, 2023, for al ...

, an unsuccessful Republican candidate for state representative, was later arrested in connection with the shooting, along with several other shootings that targeted Democratic politicians in

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Martinez, Javier 21st-century American politicians Activists from New Mexico Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in New Mexico Living people Democratic Party members of the New Mexico House of Representatives New Mexico lawyers University of New Mexico School of Law alumni Year of birth missing (living people)