Ex-prosecutors battle for bench in Metro Court
Two former prosecutors are pitted against each other in the only contested race for a Metropolitan Court judgeship.
Incumbent Judge Christopher Schultz, a Republican, will face off against Democrat Christine Rodriguez for the Division 2 spot.
Schultz, 55, has twice been appointed judge by Gov. Susana Martinez, most recently in August 2015 to fill a vacancy left by Judge Kevin Fitzwater’s retirement.
Rodriguez, 44, worked as a prosecutor in Metro Court before joining the 2nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office gang crimes division. In 2007, she started working for Gap Inc. in the contracts governance and real estate processes departments.
She said earning her law degree and being a civil servant have been her proudest professional achievements. She hopes to continue that service as a judge.
“This community has afforded me an education, a career, and a home,” Rodriguez said. “I want to give back in an impactful way and will use my experience to be fair, decisive, and unbiased on the bench.”
Schultz graduated from the Albuquerque Police Academy more than 30 years ago, and his time as an officer was the beginning of a long career in the public sector.
“My entire 31 year career has been in public service dedicated to the application of the criminal law,” he said, “as an Albuquerque police officer, a deputy district attorney, and now as a Metropolitan Court judge.”
Running unopposed for Metropolitan Court Judge in Division 3 is Democrat Renee Torres. Torres, currently the Pueblo of Zia Tribal Court chief judge, worked for nearly a decade as a public defender.