David Herrera Urias | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico | |
| Assumed office January 14, 2022 | |
| Appointed by | Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | Martha Vázquez |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1967 (age 57–58) Pecos,Texas,U.S. |
| Education | University 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]
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]
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]
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] was sworn in by Judge James O. Browning on January 21,2022. [14]
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. [15] [16]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .