District attorney chosen as judge

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham chose current District Attorney Timothy Rose to be the new judge in the 10th Judicial District, starting next month.

Rose is replacing Albert “Scooter” Mitchell Jr., who retired in February after 15 years on the bench. The 10th Judicial District covers Quay, Harding and De Baca counties.

Rose will be sworn in by 9th District Judge Donna Mowrer during a public ceremony at the Quay County Courthouse in Tucumcari at 1:30 p.m. April 1.

Rose, who sat for an interview Sunday in a side room of the district attorney’s office in Tucumcari, said he received the call Friday from the governor’s general counsel that he’d been selected as judge.

A judicial nominating committee last month had recommended Rose or Tucumcari lawyer Nancy English to fill Mitchell’s position.

“I was excited; I knew I had a decent chance,” Rose said about his selection. “Nancy English is a great person. I’ve always respected her. She’s a good lawyer. I knew I had a chance, but that’s a pretty good (person) to go up against for that selection.

“I think it’s the right time for me. After considering it after Judge Mitchell retired, I’ve increasingly got more excited about the prospects of being judge and serving our community.”

Rose, 48, a graduate of San Jon High School and the Texas Tech School of Law who lives in Logan, had been the region’s district attorney since 2013 and was assistant D.A. several years before that. He also was in private law practice in Ruidoso and Logan.

Rose said he didn’t anticipate the notion of being a judge this soon.

“I didn’t expect Judge Mitchell to retire when he did,” he said. “He seemed to really enjoy the job, and and I thought he’d be around another decade. So I didn’t give it much thought until he announced that he was going to retire.

“I always thought I may end up later in my career being a judge,” Rose added. “It’s always interested me. I always thought I had the right temperament for it. Now I think I have the right experience. I’ve always had an academic mind, did really well in law school, really enjoy legal research.”

Rose said one of his goals on the bench would be to move cases faster through the judicial system.

“I think some of the biggest changes would be getting cases moving faster, getting decisions out to parties and litigants faster,” he said. “I think being prepared before hearings will enable a judge to hear the facts at any hearing and make a decision from the bench … faster than it’s been done.”

Before he departs his current job, Rose said he anticipates the governor will appoint Deputy District Attorney Heidi Adams as the district attorney in the 10th Judicial District.

Adams earlier this month filed as a Republican candidate for district attorney, with no Democratic candidate filing.

Rose was elected as district attorney as an independent in 2020 and didn’t have to file for re-election until late June.

Rose’s father-in-law, Warren Frost, is a longtime attorney in Logan. Frost’s father Stanley also served as a district judge.

Rose and his wife Chanda have three children.