Michael Edward Vigil (born May 23, 1951) is an American attorney and jurist serving as a justice of the
New Mexico Supreme Court. He formerly was a judge on 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
Vigil was born in
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe ( ; , Spanish for 'Holy Faith'; tew, Oghá P'o'oge, Tewa for 'white shell water place'; tiw, Hulp'ó'ona, label=Tiwa language, Northern Tiwa; nv, Yootó, Navajo for 'bead + water place') is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. ...
. He graduated from the
Santa Fe University of Art and Design (formerly College of Santa Fe) in 1973 with a
Bachelor of Arts in political science and a history minor. He received his
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
Georgetown University Law Center in 1976.
Career
Vigil began his legal career in 1976 as a staff attorney for the New Mexico Court of Appeals. He entered private practice in 1979, focusing on personal injury and medical malpractice. He was in private practice until his appointment to the Court of Appeals.
State judicial service
Vigil was appointed to the New Mexico Court of Appeals in 2003 by Democratic Governor
Bill Richardson. He was elected in 2004 and re-elected in 2012 to a term set to end December 31, 2020. Vigil was elected by his peers in 2015 to a two-year term as chief judge. His service on the appeals court terminated upon his election to the Supreme Court.
New Mexico Supreme Court
Vigil was previously considered in 2015 for appointment to the
New Mexico Supreme Court after the retirement of
Richard C. Bosson. On November 6, 2018, Vigil was elected to the court, defeating incumbent
Gary L. Clingman
Gary L. Clingman (born September 21, 1951) is a former Associate Justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court.
Education
Clingman received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Texas of the Permian Basin and his Juris Doctor from Texas Tech Un ...
by a margin of 19%. His term began on January 1, 2019. On July 15, 2020, Vigil was sworn in as chief justice of the Supreme Court.
Personal
Vigil has four children and three grandchildren.
References
External links
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1959 births
20th-century American lawyers
21st-century American judges
Chief justices of the New Mexico Supreme Court
Georgetown University Law Center alumni
Justices of the New Mexico Supreme Court
Living people
New Mexico Democrats
New Mexico lawyers
New Mexico state court judges
Place of birth missing (living people)
Santa Fe University of Art and Design alumni
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