Petra Jimenez Maes (born October 5, 1947) is a former chief justice of the

New Mexico Supreme Court The New Mexico Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is established and its powers defined by Article VI of the New Mexico Constitution. It is primarily an appellate court which reviews civil and criminal decisi ...

. She was appointed to the New Mexico Supreme Court in 1998, and was the first female

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, 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 Vic ...

person to serve on the high court. She was elected Chief Justice for the court twice, once in 2003 and again in 2012. Petra Jimenez Maes grew up 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 ...

, New Mexico. Her grandparents came from Mexico, and Maes spoke Spanish as a young child. Maes 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 years ...

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 ...

and a

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

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. ...

. Maes was a state district judge in Santa Fe for 17 years before joining the state Supreme Court. Maes defeated incumbent Justice Dan A. McKinnon III to win the Democratic primary for a seat on the court in June 1998.Santa Fe judge gets Dem nod to high court
, ''The Santa Fe New Mexican'' (June 3, 1998), p. 5. She retired from active service on December 31, 2018.

References

1947 births Living people 20th-century American judges 20th-century American women judges 21st-century American judges 21st-century American women judges American judges of Mexican descent American lawyers of Mexican descent Chief Justices of the New Mexico Supreme Court Hispanic and Latino American judges Justices of the New Mexico Supreme Court New Mexico Democrats Lawyers from Albuquerque, New Mexico University of New Mexico alumni University of New Mexico School of Law alumni Women chief justices of state supreme courts in the United States {{US-state-judge-stub

See also

References