Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
A panel last week recommended the current district attorney and a Tucumcari lawyer as the top candidates to be the next 10th Judicial District judge.
The 10th Judicial District Court Judicial Nominating Committee, through the University of New Mexico School of Law, met at the Quay County Courthouse on Wednesday and chose to recommend 10th Judicial District Attorney Timothy L. Rose and longtime local lawyer Nancy English from three applicants who were interviewed.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham will make a decision in the coming weeks with who to replace District Judge Albert J. Mitchell Jr., who retired effective on Feb. 2 after 15 years on the bench. The 10th Judicial District encompasses Quay, Harding and De Baca counties.
Rose, 48, a graduate of San Jon High School who lives in Logan, has been the region’s district attorney since 2013 and was assistant D.A. for several years before that. Rose also once was in private law practice in Ruidoso and Logan. He graduated from Texas Tech School of Law.
Rose wrote he applied for the vacancy “because of my deep connection and commitment to my community and my extensive legal experience.”
“Having been born and raised in Quay County, returning to raise my family after completing college, law school and some years in private practice, I have developed a profound understanding of the needs and dynamics of this judicial district,” he stated.
“Having been married for 30 years to my wife Chanda and raising three children, including one with autism and one adopted from Ethiopia at the age of two, I understand the importance of compassion, empathy and fairness in navigating complex familial and personal dynamics,” he wrote. “Moreover, encountering life’s ups and downs, including navigating the legal system both personally and professionally, has given me a unique perspective on the legal processes on individuals and families.”
When asked on his application whether any family relationships might present conflicts if he were a judge, Rose responded his father-in-law is Logan attorney Warren Frost.
“He is semi-retired and handles only a few cases,” Rose wrote. “I would handle this potential conflict by not presiding over cases in which he is an attorney.”
When asked whether he had any drunken-driving or criminal charges against him, Rose said he was arrested for DWI in 2001 or 2002 in Hereford, Texas. He stated the charge was dismissed by the prosecutor about one week later after he reviewed the evidence.
“I was absolutely innocent of that charge,” Rose wrote.
English, 69, a native of Texas, has been a lawyer at her English Law Firm in Tucumcari since 2008 and has lived with her husband James in Tucumcari since 1980. She also has served as a public defender since 2016.
On her application, she listed stints as a senior prosecutor, children’s court attorney, a Mesalands Community College adjunct professor, research assistant and tutor at University of New Mexico School of Law and a legal assistant. She graduated from the UNM School of Law.
English acknowledged in her application that former clients might come before her as a judge. She wrote that depending on the circumstances, she would recuse herself or advise them to request a recusal.
“This position seems to be a natural progression of my career at this point and a challenge I would like to meet,” she wrote of applying for judge. “I feel I have quite a bit to contribute to the legal community. It is also a way I could give back to the district and, as the first female judge in the Tenth Judicial District, I might serve as a role model for young women in the district.”
The third applicant, who was not recommended by the panel, was Kevin John Sanders, 35. He has run a private law practice called Tucumcari Law since October 2022. He shares office space with Tucumcari lawyer Roger Bargas.
Sanders, a Tucumcari High School graduate, graduated from UNM School of Law and previously lived in Tijeras, Cedar Crest and Albuquerque. He also was an assistant district attorney in Bernalillo County in addition to private law practice.
The panel that interviewed and considered applicants were its chair, Camille Carey of the UNM School of Law, plus New Mexico Supreme Court Justice Michael Vigil, Court of Appeals Judge Zack Ives, 9th Judicial District Judge Donna Mowrer, Tucumcari resident Justin Garcia, former Tucumcari Mayor Ralph Moya, Bargas, Frost and former county assessor Janie Hoffman.