Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
New Mexico Supreme Court Chief Justice David K. Thomson takes the oath of office with his wife Patty and daughter Ava at his side. The oath was administered by outgoing Chief Justice C. Shannon Bacon.
New Mexico Supreme Court Justice David K. Thomson last Wednesday was sworn in as chief justice of the court.
The justice was elected by his colleagues on the five-member court and will serve a two-year term. He succeeded Justice C. Shannon Bacon, who had served as chief justice since 2022.
"I am honored and privileged to assume the leadership of the state's judicial branch of government," Thomson said. "I am grateful to work with all of our committed judges, court staff and judicial partners to ensure we stand up to our obligations to provide fair and impartial justice and to protect the rights and liberties of the people of New Mexico.
"My priority will be to utilize the resources our governor and legislature have provided us to improve the quality of our state judicial system through an emphasis on transparency, professionalism, education and best practices."
Thomson is the 43rd person to serve as chief justice since statehood.
The chief justice presides over New Mexico Supreme Court hearings and conferences, and serves as the administrative authority over personnel, budgets and general operations of all state courts.
Additionally, the chief justice acts as an advocate for the state judiciary on legislative and other matters.
Thomson was appointed to the state Supreme Court in 2019 and won election in 2020. Before joining the court, he served as a judge on the 1st Judicial District Court, worked as a sole practitioner in the private practice of law and held several legal positions in the New Mexico Attorney General's Office, including deputy attorney and director of the litigation division.
Thomson was born and raised in Santa Fe. He received his law degree from the University of Denver College of Law in 1998 and earned an undergraduate degree in economics and government from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connectcut.
Before attending law school, Thomson was a legislative aide in Washington, D.C., for U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman, now retired.
As a member of the state Supreme Court, Thomson worked to establish an educational program in 2021 to help young people learn about the rule of law in America's democracy by watching an oral argument in a case before the court.
For this year's Rule of Law Program, the Court will convene on April 29 at Central New Mexico Community College in Albuquerque to consider a case involving the New Mexico Human Rights Act.
