Judith Nakamura
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Judith Nakamura (born November 3, 1960) is an American judge and 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 decisio ...
. She was appointed to the court by Governor
Susana Martinez Susana Martinez (born July 14, 1959) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 31st governor of New Mexico from 2011 to 2019. A Republican, she served as chair of the Republican Governors Association (RGA) from 2015 to 2016. She ...
in 2015, and was re-elected in November 2016.


Early life

Nakamura was born and raised in
New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...
. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree 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 ...
in 1983 and a Juris Doctor 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. ...
in 1989.


Career

After graduating from college, she served as a political director for the Republican Party of New Mexico and as a staffer for U.S. Senator
Pete Domenici Pietro Vichi "Pete" Domenici (May 7, 1932 – September 13, 2017) was an American attorney and politician who served as a United States Senator from New Mexico from 1973 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, he served six terms in the S ...
. After law school, Nakamura was an attorney in private practice, and for New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands.


Judicial career

Nakamura was elected as a judge on the
Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court The Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court is the Judicial system of the metropolitan areas of Albuquerque, New Mexico and Bernalillo County, New Mexico, USA. The Metropolitan Courthouse is located in Downtown Albuquerque. System The Metropolitan Co ...
in 1998, and served as
Chief Judge A chief judge (also known as presiding judge, president judge or principal judge) is the highest-ranking or most senior member of a lower court or circuit court with more than one judge. According to the Federal judiciary of the United States, th ...
of that court from 2002 to 2013. The Albuquerque Bar Association named Nakamura "Judge of the Year" in 2004. Governor
Susana Martinez Susana Martinez (born July 14, 1959) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 31st governor of New Mexico from 2011 to 2019. A Republican, she served as chair of the Republican Governors Association (RGA) from 2015 to 2016. She ...
appointed Nakamura to New Mexico's Second Judicial District Court in 2013, and she was re-elected to a new term in 2014. In 2015, Governor Martinez named Nakamura to 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 decisio ...
to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Richard C. Bosson. Her appointment gave the supreme court a female majority for the first time. She was sworn in on December 11, 2015. A lawsuit challenging Nakamura's appointment, because she was nominated before her predecessor had actually left office, was dismissed by the courts. Nakamura was re-elected to a new term on the Supreme Court in November 2016, defeating her Democratic challenger Michael Vigil by 391,000 votes to 361,000 (52% to 48%). Nakamura became the first Republican woman elected to the Court in the state's history, and the first Republican since 1980. On June 9, 2020, Nakamura announced that she would retire on August 1, but she later postponed her retirement. On December 1, Nakamura officially retired.


Personal life

Nakamura is an avid
balloonist In aeronautics, a balloon is an unpowered aerostat, which remains aloft or floats due to its buoyancy. A balloon may be free, moving with the wind, or tethered to a fixed point. It is distinct from an airship, which is a powered aerostat that ...
, who serves on the board of the
Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is a yearly hot air balloon festival that takes place in Albuquerque, New Mexico, during early October. The Balloon Fiesta is a nine-day event occurring in the first full week of October, and has o ...
, which takes place in New Mexico each fall.


See also

*
List of female state supreme court justices Female state supreme court justices First female justices Below is a list of the names of the first woman to sit on the highest court of their respective states in the United States. The first state with a female justice was Ohio; Florence E. ...


References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Nakamura, Judith 1960 births Living people 21st-century American judges 21st-century American women judges Chief Justices of the New Mexico Supreme Court New Mexico Republicans Justices of the New Mexico Supreme Court University of New Mexico alumni Women chief justices of state supreme courts in the United States