Julie J. Vargas | |
---|---|
Justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court | |
Assumed office January 25, 2021 | |
Appointed by | Michelle Lujan Grisham |
Preceded by | Judith Nakamura |
Judge of the New Mexico Court of Appeals | |
In office 2016 – January 25, 2021 | |
Preceded by | Stephen French |
Succeeded by | Gerald E. Baca |
Personal details | |
Born | 1968 or 1969 (age 55–56)[1] Old Town Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S. |
Education | Brown University (BA) University of New Mexico (JD) |
Julie J. Vargas (born 1968 or 1969) is an American attorney and jurist serving as a justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court since 2021. She is a former judge of the New Mexico Court of Appeals.
Vargas was born and raised in Old Town Albuquerque.[2] She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and English literature from Brown University and her Juris Doctor from the University of New Mexico School of Law.[3][4]
Vargas worked in private practice, serving more than 20 years at the Albuquerque law firm Hunt & Davis.[4] Since 2018 she has been an adjunct professor at the University of New Mexico School of Law.[5]
Vargas was one of three candidates sent to Governor Susana Martinez to fill the vacancy left by Cynthia Frye who retired in December 2015.[1] Vargas was elected to the New Mexico Court of Appeals in 2016.[4]
On December 19, 2020, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham announced her appointment of Vargas to be a justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court to fill the vacancy left by Justice Judith Nakamura who retired on December 1, 2020.[6][4] She was sworn into office on January 25, 2021.[7]