District Court Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer speaks during the trial of Actor Alec Baldwin, July 12, 2024. (Santa Fe New Mexican press pool photograph courtesy of the Administrative Office of the Courts)
First Judicial District Court Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer will retire this spring after 15 years on the bench, the New Mexico Administrative Office of the Courts announced on Thursday.
“It has been an honor and privilege to serve the people of New Mexico,” Judge Marlowe Sommer said in a statement. “However, it is time to step away from the hectic schedule of court business and enjoy retirement.”
Marlowe Sommer gained national attention for her role in overseeing the criminal prosecutions of actor Alec Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez for their roles in the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of “Rust” in 2020.
“During my time on the bench, I have admired and deeply appreciated those who work so hard each day to ensure the court delivers the fair and timely justice that people are entitled to in our legal system,” she said.
Marlowe Sommer was born in Pasadena, California and worked as an assistant attorney general under former New Mexico attorney general Paul Bardacke in the 1980s, according to the Santa Fe Reporter.
Former Gov. Bill Richardson appointed Marlowe Sommer to the bench in 2010 when she was a domestic relations and child support hearing officer for the court, according to a news release from the AOC.
A Democrat, Marlowe Sommer ran unopposed in the election that November, and voters retained her in 2014 and again in 2020.
She was the court’s chief judge from April 2019 to April 2022, the news release states, and has presided over 21,600 cases.
According to the release, the judicial nominating commission for the First Judicial District will screen applicants for the vacancy created by Marlowe Sommer’s retirement, and will recommend nominees to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham for possible appointment to serve the remainder of Judge Marlowe Sommer’s term, which expires Dec. 31, 2028.
The nominating commission’s chair, UNM Law School Dean Camille Carey, was not immediately available for comment on whether anyone has applied or been nominated to fill Marlowe Sommer’s upcoming vacancy.
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