EDITORIAL: Journal recommendations for 2nd Judicial District

Oct. 18--These are the Journal's recommendations for contested judicial races in the 2nd Judicial District in Bernalillo County:

Division 3 -- Brett Loveless

Judge Brett Loveless was appointed to the bench in March 2012 on the recommendation of the Judicial Nominating Commission. In that time, he has worked effectively to bring down the backlog of cases.

Loveless, a Republican, has overseen the second-highest number of criminal trials in the court, streamlined his more than 1,000-case docket, and welcomes the new case management system to "open the funnel" and deliver justice to more individuals more efficiently. Loveless, who was a prosecutor for 12 years, says he has been disqualified from cases just eight times, showing in the vast majority "the parties find me to be fair, decisive and in possession of the kind of experience needed to effectively manage the cases assigned to me."

The Journal recommends voters keep Judge Brett Loveless on the Division 3 bench.

Division 5 -- Nancy J. Franchini

Judge Nancy J. Franchini has been on the bench only since Aug. 19, but says the experience so far shows her interest in the position "was right."

Franchini, a Democrat, was vetted and recommended by the Judicial Nominating Commission and appointed by Gov. Susana Martinez to the 2nd Judicial District Division 5 seat, and very quickly presided over a high profile case -- the dispute between local taxi companies and ride-sharing services Lyft and Uber.

She received her law degree from the University of New Mexico and has been an attorney for 17 years.

She has been a member of the New Mexico Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission, which rates judges, and has coached the Albuquerque High School mock trial team for four years.

The Journal recommends voters select Judge Nancy J. Franchini for 2nd Judicial District judge, Division 5.

Division 8 -- Cristina T. Jaramillo

Judge Cristina T. Jaramillo has 12 years of experience on the bench, serving on the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court and dealing with about 6,000 cases a year. She is now seeking a judgeship on the 2nd Judicial District Court Division 8, the Family Court.

She had been previously vetted and recommended for a district court judgeship by the Judicial Nominating Commission in 2012, but was not appointed. Neither candidate made the short list for this post when it opened.

Jaramillo, a Republican, has served on her court's Drug Court Advisory Committee, the DWI Planning Council and the Domestic Violence Committee, which should give her a running start in dealing with family court issues.

The Journal recommends voters choose Judge Cristina T. Jaramillo for 2nd Judicial District judge.

Division 9 -- Judith Nakamura

Judge Judith Nakamura has almost 16 years experience on the bench, first in Metropolitan Court (where colleagues elected her chief judge four times) and, since February 2013, in state District Court, after being recommended by the Judicial Nominating Commission.

In her most recent rating from the Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission, in 2010, "attorneys rated her positively for her knowledge of the law, punctuality in commencing proceedings, maintaining proper control over the proceedings, ruling decisively on legal matters, and for displaying familiarity with court cases through prior preparation."

Nakamura, a Republican, has a deserved reputation as a no-nonsense judge who is concerned about victims and isn't conned by defendants. She has overseen the highest number of criminal trials in the District Court and takes seriously her role in ensuring public safety.

The Journal recommends voters keep Judge Judith Nakamura's experience on the Division 9 bench.

Division 14 -- Marie Ward

Judge Marie Ward was appointed to the Children's Court position in March 2014 by Gov. Susana Martinez after being vetted and nominated by a nonpartisan Judicial Nominating Commission. Ward is a University of New Mexico School of Law graduate.

Ward, a Democrat, is well suited for this court, which hears abuse and neglect, parental rights and adoption cases. She was a Family Court hearing officer for seven years and a special assistant attorney general in the Child Support Enforcement Division. In private practice, she handled domestic violence, adoption, divorce and other family-related cases.

The Journal endorses Marie Ward for Division 14 Children's Court.

Division 27 -- Ned S. Fuller

After being recommended by a nonpartisan Judicial Nominating Commission, Judge Ned S. Fuller was appointed in July to fill a new position created this year to offer relief to the busy 2nd Judicial District, which covers Bernalillo County. Fuller says he sees the appointment as a "unique opportunity to serve the public."

Fuller, a Republican, received his law degree from Brigham Young University and has been practicing law for 21 years. During that time, he has been legal bureau chief for the New Mexico Risk Management Division and is a former director of the New Mexico Workers Compensation Administration. He has also been an administrative law judge. This experience should help him in his work for Division 27, which handles civil cases.

The Journal recommends voters keep Judge Ned S. Fuller on the 2nd Judicial District, Division 27 bench.

This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.

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