David Herrera Urias
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico
Assumed office
January 14, 2022
Appointed byJoe Biden
Preceded byMartha Vázquez
Personal details
Born1967 (age 56–57)
Pecos, Texas, U.S.
EducationUniversity of New Mexico (BA, JD)

David Herrera Urias (born 1967)[1] is an American lawyer serving as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico.[2]

Early life and education

Born in Pecos, Texas, Urias was raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the son of Estella Urias and David D. Urias. He has two siblings.[3] He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of New Mexico in 1997 and a Juris Doctor from the University of New Mexico School of Law in 2001.[4]

Career

In 2001 and 2002, Urias served as a law clerk for Judge Vanessa Ruiz of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. After his clerkship, Urias won the Fried Frank Civil Rights Fellowship.[5] From 2002 to 2004, he was an associate at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson in New York City. From 2004 to 2008, he worked as a staff attorney for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund. He joined Freedman Boyd Hollander Goldberg Urias & Ward, P.A. in 2008.[6]

Federal judicial service

On September 8, 2021, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Urias to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico.[4] On September 20, 2021, his nomination was sent to the Senate. President Biden nominated Urias to the seat to be vacated by Judge Martha Vázquez, who subsequently assumed senior status in 2022.[7] On November 3, 2021, a hearing on his nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[8] During his confirmation hearing, he was criticized by Senator Marsha Blackburn over his affiliation with the ACLU of New Mexico.[9] On December 2, 2021, his nomination was reported out of committee by a 12–10 vote.[10] On December 17, 2021, the United States Senate invoked cloture on his nomination by a 45–25 vote.[11] His nomination was confirmed that same day by a 45–26 vote.[12] He received his judicial commission on January 14, 2022.[13]

Notable rulings

In September 2023, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham issued a public health order suspending the right to carry either open or concealed firearms at most public places in the Albuquerque area. Urias granted a temporary restraining order, and in response Grisham narrowed the order to only prohibit guns in public parks and playgrounds. In October 2023, after the temporary restraining order had expired, Urias declined a request by gun rights advocates to block the firearm restrictions while legal challenges over the order's constitutionality move forward.[14][15]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  2. ↑ "David Urias". www.lawyer.com. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
  3. ↑ "Albuquerque Journal Obituaries". obits.abqjournal.com. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
  4. 1 2 "President Biden Names Seventh Round of Judicial Nominees". The White House. September 8, 2021. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Fried Frank Fellowship Opens Doors" (PDF). www.friedfrank.com. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
  6. ↑ Vella, Lauren (2021-09-08). "Biden nominates three Latinos to the federal bench". TheHill. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
  7. ↑ "Nominations and Withdrawal Sent to the Senate" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. September 20, 2021. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  8. ↑ "Nominations". Washington, D.C.: United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. October 27, 2021.
  9. ↑ Wagner, Rose (November 3, 2021). "GOP works to trip judicial nominees on road to confirmation with focus on activist pasts". Courthouse News. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Results of Executive Business Meeting – December 2, 2021" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  11. ↑ "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: David Herrera Urias to be U.S. District Judge for the District of New Mexico)". United States Senate. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  12. ↑ "On the Nomination (Confirmation: David Herrera Urias, of New Mexico, to be U.S. District Judge for the District of New Mexico)". United States Senate. December 17, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  13. ↑ David H. Urias at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  14. ↑ Lee, Morgan. "Federal judge won't block suspension of right to carry guns in some New Mexico parks, playgrounds". ABC News. Associated Press. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  15. ↑ Goldberg, Julia (12 October 2023). "Judge Lets Gov. Lujan Grisham Gun Ban Stand—for Now". Santa Fe Reporter. Retrieved 15 November 2023.


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