NM Chief Justice Nakamura to retire Aug. 1
New Mexico’s chief justice is set to retire later this summer.
Judith Nakamura will officially retire from the state Supreme Court on Aug. 1. She was appointed to the court by former Gov. Susana Martinez in November 2015 and elected chief justice in June 2017.
“I’ve done all I can at this point, and the timing seems right,” Nakamura said in a phone interview Tuesday.
Nakamura, 59, made history in 2016 when she became the first female Republican to be elected to the Supreme Court. Her nomination to the court also created the first ever female majority.
She said Tuesday that she has been on the bench for 21½ years. That includes more than a decade at Metropolitan Court and then two years as a criminal division judge at the 2nd Judicial District Court.
Current Metropolitan Court Chief Judge Sandra Engel said Nakamura was a great mentor
who inspired her to run for chief judge.
“Her leadership and dedication to the judiciary has been a true gift to New Mexicans,” Engel said. “She is someone who would not rest until her work was complete.”
Former state Supreme Court Justice Ed Chavez, who retired in 2018, called Nakamura brilliant.
“I loved every minute of working with her,” Chavez said. “She’s extremely talented.”
Nakamura was set to retire June 1, but said she stayed a bit longer to help guide the courts through the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I want to thank Chief Justice Nakamura for her commitment to serving the people and the courts of New Mexico,” Chief Public Defender Ben Baur said in a statement Tuesday. “Rather than being able to coast into retirement, she’s capped her career by helping to lead the courts through the coronavirus pandemic, probably the most complicated crisis the system has faced.”
State Attorney General Hector Balderas also praised Nakamura’s leadership. “I am grateful for Chief Justice Nakamura’s service to our State,” Balderas said in a statement. “She has established herself as one of our most respected jurists and the bench will certainly miss her leadership.”
Nakamura says she now plans to volunteer for animal welfare organizations and continue piloting hot air balloons. She serves on the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta Board and was sworn in to the Supreme Court at Balloon Fiesta Park in December 2015.
“It’s not a sport that gets easier when you get older,” Nakamura said.
Before she became a judge, she worked in private practice and as counsel to the State Land Office.
She attended Taylor Middle School, Cibola High School and then the University of New Mexico and its school of law.
A new chief justice will be appointed July 15, according to a press release from the Administrative Office of the Courts.
The Supreme Court Judicial Nomination Commission wants lawyers who meet the qualifications to fill Nakamura’s vacancy to file an application by 5 p.m. June 26.