Name Martha Vazquez Preceded by Santiago E. Campos | Appointed by Bill Clinton Succeeded by Bruce D. Black | |
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Alma mater University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame Law School | ||
Preceded by Juan Guerrero Burciaga | ||
Martha Alicia Vázquez (born December 1953) is a United States federal judge on the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico, and the first woman to be appointed as a federal judge in that state.
Born in Santa Barbara, California, Vázquez is an alumna of the University of Notre Dame, where she received her B.A. in 1975, followed by a J.D. from the Notre Dame Law School in 1978. Following a brief stint with Michigan Migrant Legal Services, she was a public defender in New Mexico from 1979 to 1981, and then entered private practice, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, from 1981 until her appointment to the federal bench in 1993.
On August 6, 1993, Vázquez was nominated by President Bill Clinton for the judge seat on the District Court vacated by Santiago E. Campos. She was confirmed by the United States Senate on September 30, 1993, and received her commission on October 1, 1993. She served as chief judge of the court from 2003 to 2010.