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LAS CRUCES - Two prosecutors will take over the vacancies left by retiring District Court judges, Gov. Susana Martinez announced Wednesday.
Martinez has appointed Susan Riedel and Jacinto Palomino to take over for Judge Jerald A. Valentine and Judge Stephen Bridgforth. Both were part of a group recommended by the 3rd Judicial District Court Nominating Commission.
"Ms. Riedel and Mr. Palomino have dedicated their careers to protecting New Mexico's children and families and upholding the law to the fullest extent," Martinez said in a prepared statement. "Both have served capably as prosecutors and have proven themselves as tenacious and fair representatives of New Mexico's legal system. I am confident that Ms. Riedel and Mr. Palomino will be fair and honest judges who will impartially apply the law."
Chief Deputy District Attorney Riedel earned her law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C., and currently oversees attorney training in Children's Court and probation violations.
"I am very excited and pleased," Riedel said Wednesday. "I look forward to continuing to serve the people of our county in this new capacity."
Previously, Riedel served as the child support enforcement hearing officer and special master for family violence protection hearings and Children's Court detention hearings for the 12th Judicial District in Alamogordo, an assistant district attorney for the 3rd Judicial District and a deputy district attorney for the 2nd
Deputy District Attorney Palomino, a former Marine who earned his law degree from the University of California at San Francisco Hastings College of Law, oversees the violent felony offense unit and serves as senior defense counsel for the Judge Advocate General of the United States Army Reserve.
"I am honored to be appointed by the governor," he said. "I am looking forward to serving the people of Do-a Ana County."
Ashley Meeks can be reached at (575) 541-5462.
