Seven additional attorneys have applied to the state District Court judge vacancy in Tierra Amarilla after Gov. Bill Richardson requested more names from a nominating commission.
The Judicial Nominating Commission interviewed the six original applicants and recommended only one, Española lawyer Sheri Raphaelson, to Richardson for possible appointment to the judgeship. Richardson requested the Commission solicit new applicants, who had until Feb. 16 to submit their materials for consideration. The Commission has until Thursday (2/26) to make new nominations.
The District Court vacancy was created by the departure of former District Court judge Timothy Garcia, who was appointed by Richardson to fill one of three vacancies on the state Court of Appeals. State District Court Judges Michael Vigil and Stephen Pfeffer in Santa Fe have presided over hearings and conferences since Garcia departed in January.
All six original applicants will be considered by the Commission, but only two will be re-interviewed along with the seven new applicants Thursday (2/26), Commission coordinator Sandra Bauman said. Nathaniel Thompkins, a Santa Fe family and commercial law attorney, and Paul Mannick, a Santa Fe personal injury attorney, requested to be re-interviewed.
Richardson has until March 28 to choose an appointee. The position pays an annual salary of $111,631. The appointee will be up for election in a bipartisan election in 2010.
The following is information provided by the new applicants:
Name: Marco Gonzales
Age: 41
Hometown/Current Residence: Santa Fe
Law School: Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.
Career: In his practice at Modrall Sperling law firm in Santa Fe, Gonzales primarily represents corporate clients involved in contract disputes. From 1987 to 1998, he was a legislative assistant to former Republican United States senator Pete Domenici.
Experience: Most of Gonzales’ legal experience in his 11 years in practice has been in personal injury and commercial law. He reported having no experience in juvenile law, criminal law or domestic relations law, but noted that he worked on an amendment in the senate that provided benefits to military spouses who were victims of domestic violence. Gonzales said he has never tried a case before a jury. He has tried one bench trial.
Mission: “The justice system must be the one constant in the violent ocean that provides certainty through the application of the law … I have practiced law at one of New Mexico’s finest and most well-respected law firm’s (sic) for eleven years. I believe in and love the law. I feel humble before its power and its effect on the people whose lives it touches through the courts in its just application.”
Recommendations: Pojoaque Pueblo Governor George Rivera writes, “I grew up with Marco at the Santa Fe Boys and Girls Club. Since the time when he worked as chef and served us all three square meals a day, I have recognized and known that he has the heart of a public servant.”
Notes: Gonzales ran unsuccessfully for the Third Congressional District seat in the Republican primary last June. He owns 6 percent of Railyard Co. LLC. He enjoys fishing, running, lifting weights, watching high school sports and cooking.
Name: Damian Horne
Age: 50
Hometown/Current Residence: Midland, Texas/Santa Fe
Law School: College of William and Mary
Career: Horne has been a public defender in the First Judicial District since 2000 and previously was a partner in a general civil and criminal practice that handled family law, bankruptcy and personal injury cases. Between 2007 and 2008, Horne was deployed to Iraq as a combat sergeant with the U.S. Army’s special forces.
Experience: Horne rated his experience in each area of law as “moderate” or “very,” with commercial law and appellate law listed as moderate, and domestic relations law, juvenile law and criminal law rated “very.” He estimated trying approximately 10 jury trials in the past two years and hundreds if not thousands of non-jury trials during his career.
Mission: “I believe I am well suited for this position because of the following professional highlights I hope are not construed as immodesty but both as a verification of a need to excel and the standard of excellence I would bring to the bench,” Horne writes, before detailing his graduation from the University of New Mexico at age 18, the fact that he held three jobs to support himself during law school, and his receipt of the “coveted Army Ranger tab” and soldiers medal of valor while serving in the Armed Forces in between his undergraduate and law school years.
Recommendations: Letters of recommendation are not due at the same time as applications, and none had arrived for Horne when the applications were inspected.
Notes: Horne is married to fellow public defender Sydney West. He enjoys ultra-marathon running and teaching karate and is in an organization called Ancient Free and Accepted Masons.
Name: Michael Jones
Age: 38
Hometown/Current Residence: Wauseon, Ohio/Santa Fe
Law School: Toledo College of Law
Career: Since 2005, Jones has been an attorney with Clark and Jones attorneys at law, representing clients in both civil and criminal matters. He was an analyst for the 1998, 1999, 2004, 2005 and 2006 legislative sessions and was an Assistant District Attorney between 1998 and 2002 for the 11th Judicial District.
Experience: Most of Jones’ current practice has focused on commercial law, but he prosecuted domestic relations and juvenile cases and misdemeanor criminal cases as an Assistant District Attorney. He has tried ten criminal cases before a jury in his career, and about the same amount of criminal non-jury cases.
Mission: “I have practiced law in New Mexico for 12 years … with clients including indigent criminal clients, juveniles, corporations, individuals, the state of New Mexico and members of a land grant. Working with these clients has taught me that assisting people with their legal issues and guiding them through the legal system is an important and worthwhile endeavor.”
Recommendations: First Judicial District Attorney Angela Pacheco writes, “Mr. Jones has worked off and on for a number of years in Northern New Mexico and is familiar with the cultural and economic issues that challenge the citizens of that community. His understanding of the community will allow him as a judge to make informed decisions.”
Notes: Jones enjoys hiking, horseback riding, hunting and reading.
Name: Kathleen Kentish Lucero
Age: 54
Hometown/Current Residence: Boulder, Colo./Espanola and Tesuque
Law School: Vermont Law School
Career: Lucero has been in solo practice since 1984 and primarily handles personal injury, family law, and commercial cases, but has also served as interim city attorney for the city of Española in 2006.
Experience: Experienced in personal injury, commercial, and domestic relations law, Lucero has handled only misdemeanor criminal cases and appellate cases only as a contract attorney. She has tried four cases before a jury in her career and approximately 25 civil non-jury trials.
Mission: “My strength lies in my analytical understanding of legal precedents and my ability to be sympathetic to the very real issues that face people today.”
Recommendations: Ben Tafoya of drug and alcohol addiction treatment center Hoy Recovery writes, “By selecting (Lucero) the people of the First Judicial District would have a judge that is credible and one with a background in the legal issues that need to be addressed in the region.”
Name: Dennis Manzanares
Age: 58
Hometown/Current Residence: Santa Fe
Law School: Georgeoown University
Career: Manzanares is an attorney with Manzanares Law Firm handling mostly commercial cases and was previously attorney for the town of Taos and then Taos County. In the latte 1970s he was a public defender in the WHICH Judicial District in Albuquerque.
Experience: Manzanares has experience in personal injury, commercial and domestic relations law, but his criminal and juvenile law experience is derived from his time as a public defender in the 1970s. Except for his work as a public defender, he has tried three cases before a jury and five non-jury trials.
Mission: In the briefest statement of interest in the position submitted among all the candidates, Manzanares writes in part, “I have seen poor to excellent jurists and have always felt that my demeanor and temperament were well-suited to holding judicial office.”
Recommendations: Florence Miera, a licensed medical social worker with the Taos School District, writes, “He is a man with integrity who would be mindful of every person and would carefully take into consideration every case.”
Notes: Manzanares is the owner of a home-based electronic commerce business called e-Comm. In 1995 he was sued by his landlord for breach of contract and settled for one additional month’s rent payment. His interests are teaching and woodworking.
Name: Francis Mathew
Age: 56
Hometown/Current Residence: Phoenix, Ariz./Santa Fe
Law School: Notre Dame
Career: As sole practictioner at Mathew Law Firm LLC, Mathew specializes in commercial and family law.
Experience: Mathew has 30 years of experience representing commercial clients and handling domestic relations cases and listed his experience in juvenile, personal injury and criminal law as limited. He has tried three civil cases to a jury in his career and 75 to 100 non-jury trials. Mission: “I have lived, practiced law and raised four (4) children in Santa Fe, New Mexico for the past thirty (30) years … I believe I can give all litigants the benefit of true justice based on my experience and temperament.”
Recommendations: Arturo Jaramillo, cabinet secretary with the state general services department, writes, “I know Frank to be a fair, honest and patient person who works hard and takes great pride in the effectiveness of his legal work.”
Notes: Mathew is a shareholder, director and secretary of Valley Abstract and Title Co, Espanola, and is a member of Arriba Investments in Española. He enjoys motorcycle riding, travel, aikido and continuing education courses at Santa Fe Community College.
Name: Sarah Singleton
Age: 59
Hometown/Current Residence: Ann Arbor, Mich./Santa Fe
Law School: Indiana University School of Law
Career: Singleton has been an attorney with Montgomery and Andrews since 1985, handling mostly commercial law and personal injury cases. Between 1974 and 1976 she was a public defender.
Experience: Singleton lists her commercial, personal injury, criminal and appellate experience as her strong points and states she has some domestic relations and minimal juvenile law experience. She has tried nine cases before a jury in her career and 24 non-jury trials.
Mission: “Our district is increasingly the venue for complex litigation and my familiarity with this type of case would enable me to manage and try such matters efficiently.”
Recommendations: Katherine Hall writes, “For years, Sarah has been recognized as the “go to” person for lawyers seeking advice on legal procedures, ethics issues or more mundane matters of office practice.”
Notes: Singleton reports having a very minor limited partnership in six oil and gas partnerships managed by Waveland Energy Partners. She enjoys sea kayaking, reading and baseball.