Appeals judge tapped for high court
Vargas, appointed by governor, needs no confirmation to serve
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham appointed Julie J. Vargas, a judge on the New Mexico Court of Appeals, to serve on the state Supreme Court, the Governor’s Office announced Saturday.
Vargas, a Democrat, will succeed retired Justice Judith K. Nakamura, a Republican appointed by former Gov. Susana Martinez.
“Judge Vargas has demonstrated her quality as a consistent and conscientious jurist,” Lujan Grisham said in a statement. “She is a fair, trustworthy and thoughtful representative of New Mexico’s judicial system, and I know New Mexico will benefit from her service now as a justice.”
Vargas grew up in Albuquerque and graduated in 1990 from Brown University in Rhode Island with a bachelor’s degree in history and
English literature before earning a law degree from the University of New Mexico.
As an appellate court judge, she has heard disputed decisions from lower courts around the state since 2016. Before that, she worked in private practice for more than 20 years, mostly in commercial and personal injury law.
She has also served as co-chairwoman of the Advisory Committee of the Code of Judicial Conduct and taught part time at the University of New Mexico School of Law.
In 2016 after an uncontested Democratic
primary, she received 52 percent of the vote to beat Republican Stephen French for an eight-year term on the Court of Appeals.
In October 2018, Vargas was part of a three-judge panel that ruled against the state Attorney General’s Office and strengthened the state’s Inspection of Public Records Act by allowing fines of up to $100 a day when agencies improperly withhold documents requested under the statute.
The Governor’s Office said in its release that Lujan Grisham selected Vargas after interviewing a list of candidates provided by the Judicial Nominating Commission. Barry Massey, spokesman for the Administrative Office of the Courts, said no other body will need to confirm Vargas and her start date will depend on her own schedule.
Vargas, whose father was a lawyer, could not be reached for comment Saturday.
“When I think about what I want to do with the second half of my career,” she told The New Mexican during the 2016 campaign. “I realize that I want to give back and serve.”