Julie J. Vargas (born 1968 or 1969) is an American attorney and jurist serving as a justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court since 2021. She is a former judge of the

New Mexico Court of Appeals The New Mexico Court of Appeals (in case citation, N.M. Ct. App.) is the intermediate-level appellate court for the state of New Mexico. History The court of appeals was created by a constitutional amendment submitted to the electorate in a ...

Early life and education

Vargas was born and raised in Old Town Albuquerque. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and English literature from

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

and her

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 ...

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. Founded in 1947, it is the first and only law school in the state. ...

."Gov. Lujan Grisham fills Supreme Court vacancy" Office of the Governor, December 19, 2020

Career

Vargas worked in private practice, serving more than 20 years at the Albuquerque law firm Hunt & Davis. Since 2018 she has been an

adjunct professor An adjunct professor is a type of academic appointment in higher education who does not work at the establishment full-time. The terms of this appointment and the job security of the tenure vary in different parts of the world, however the genera ...

at the University of New Mexico School of Law.

Judicial career

New Mexico Court of Appeals

Vargas was one of three candidates sent to Governor Susana Martinez to fill the vacancy left by Cynthia Frye who retired in December 2015. Vargas was elected to the

in 2016.

New Mexico Supreme Court

On December 19, 2020, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham announced her appointment of Vargas to be a justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court to fill the vacancy left by Justice

Judith Nakamura Judith Nakamura (born November 3, 1960) is an American judge and former chief justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court. She was appointed to the court by Governor Susana Martinez in 2015, and was re-elected in November 2016. Early life Nakamura ...

who retired on December 1, 2020. She was sworn into office on January 25, 2021.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vargas, Julie J. 1960s births Living people 20th-century American women lawyers 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American women judges 21st-century American judges 21st-century American women lawyers 21st-century American lawyers American women academics Brown University alumni Hispanic and Latino American judges Hispanic and Latino American lawyers Justices of the New Mexico Supreme Court New Mexico state court judges Lawyers from Albuquerque, New Mexico University of New Mexico faculty University of New Mexico School of Law alumni