Courtesy/Brian Culbreath

NMBJC News:

ALBUQUERQUE — The newly formed New Mexico Black Judicial Council (NMBJC) announces its mission to strengthen the state’s judiciary by recruiting, supporting and retaining Black judges across all courts in New Mexico.

The organization, incorporated in December 2025, intends to build a strong pipeline of attorneys who qualify for the bench while offering meaningful support for those currently serving. The Chair of the NMBJC is retired Second Judicial District Court Judge Tommy Jewell, who was New Mexico’s first Black judge. Other board members include retired Judges Angela Jewell and Stan Whitaker, as well as sitting Judges Shammara H. Henderson, Beatrice Brickhouse, and Shonnetta Estrada. The membership includes judges around the state from the New Mexico Court of Appeals and District Courts to Magistrate and Municipal Courts, Tribal Courts, and Administrative Law Courts.

Many of the judges in the NMBJC recently celebrated its incorporation with other judges, lawyers, and community members at the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Courthouse.

“Diversity on the bench is necessary to ensure our judicial system is truly equitable and just.” “A judge’s personal background—their proximity to a community—matters as much as their professional background,” Judge Tommy Jewell said.

“Just as we have judges from a wide range of legal backgrounds—civil, criminal, family—etc., we need judges of different genders, races and sexual orientations to ensure all people are treated fairly and humanely as they navigate the court system. There are still courts in New Mexico that have never had a Black Judge. This organization will work to make that change.”

The NMBJC is committed to expanding access to judicial opportunities in an organized way that has not previously existed.

In carrying out its mission, the NMBJC seeks not only to support Black judges, but also to strengthen the entire judiciary and improve outcomes for all who come before New Mexico’s courts. “We see this work as a lasting contribution to the state’s system of justice—today and into the future,” Judge Shammara Henderson said.

About the New Mexico Black Judicial Council

The New Mexico Black Judicial Council is an organization dedicated to recruiting, retaining, and sustaining Black judges in New Mexico; addressing the challenges they face in judicial service; and serving as a catalyst for the recognition of the importance of their presence in our systems of justice.