For the month of November, we are joined by members of the New Mexico Judiciary to talk about current and future wellbeing initiatives in our judicial community. Pamela Moore, the Director of SBNM’s Professional Practice Group, speaks with Supreme Court Justice David K. Thomson, New Mexico Court of Appeals Judge Shammara Henderson, and Second Judicial District Court Judge David Murphy about awareness and creation of a culture change toward wellness of judges. Specifically, how New Mexico is leading the charge on this important quest and areas that still need improvement. This episode will cover: • Judicial well-being resources and services offered. • National efforts and initiatives offered that NM could bring home. • Biggest challenges to well-being as a justice/judge. • Areas of improvement and identifying barriers for offered programs/services. • Actions our speakers employ personally or professionally to self-care and show up as the best justice/judge they can be.
Speakers
Pamela Moore, MA, LPCC, currently serves as a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor and Director of the State Bar of New Mexico’s Professional Programs Group where she educates the legal community on positive health and well-being and assists in providing resources and services to any legal professional struggling with mental, emotional or behavioral issues. Ms. Moore served as an advisory member to the National Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs in 2019 and 2020 and is a current member of the Institute for Well Being In Law.
Ms. Moore’s professional career includes a BS in Industrial Engineering, Masters Certificate in Human Resources Management, Masters in Counseling, license as a Professional Clinical Counselor, and she is on track to become a Professional Certified Coach by the end of 2022. She has over 10 years of study and experience in self-care and is passionate about assisting, guiding and supporting those that seek to get curious about their life and invite change.
Justice David K. Thomson took the oath of office on February 4, 2019, following his selection by the nonpartisan Judicial Nominating Commission and his appointment by the Governor to the New Mexico Supreme Court. Since 2015, Justice Thomson had been serving Santa Fe, Rio Arriba, and Los Alamos Counties as a state trial judge in the First Judicial District.
Justice Thomson was born and raised in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and is a graduate of Santa Fe High School. He has an undergraduate degree in Economics and Government from Wesleyan University in Middletown Connecticut. He worked for United States Senator Jeff Bingaman before attending the University of Denver Sturm College of Law and graduating in 1998. After receiving his law degree, Justice Thomson served as term law clerk for United States District Judge Bruce D. Black, District of New Mexico. In 1999 following his clerkship he joined the Office of the New Mexico Attorney General as a litigation attorney, eventually serving until 2010 as Deputy Attorney General. Prior to taking the bench in 2015, Justice Thomson was a sole practitioner admitted to appear in state and federal courts including the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court.
By New Mexico Supreme Court appointment, Justice Thomson has served on the Uniform Jury Instruction-Civil Committee as chair since January 2016, the Performance Measures Subcommittee of the Chief Judges Council since October 2017, and the Guardianship Reform Implementation Steering Committee since March 2018. Justice Thomson graduated from the National Judicial College in 2010. He teaches legal education courses to judges and attorneys on a number of topics including trial practice, civility, judicial ethics, evidence, and administrative appeals. Justice Thomson is a member of the Executive Committee of the American Bar Association Judicial Division and the American Bar Association Appellate Judges Conference and is the state delegate to the Judicial Division of the American Bar Association.
Judge Shammara H. Henderson was appointed to the New Mexico Court of Appeals in February 2020 by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, and won her election in November of 2020, becoming the first Black appellate judge and Black woman to hold statewide office in New Mexico.
Judge Henderson clerked for Justice Charles W. Daniels at the N.M. Supreme Court. She then joined the Second Judicial District Attorney’s Office. Afterward, she became the Associate General Counsel for the Office of Governor. Later, she joined the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico, where she successfully litigated criminal and civil cases and appealed criminal cases. Judge Henderson then co-founded her own law firm Henderson & Grohman, which later joined Freedman, Boyd, et al., where she represented clients in criminal, civil, and administrative matters in both state and federal courts at the trial and appellate level. Judge Henderson has also been an adjunct professor at UNM School of Law since 2019.
Her hobbies include yoga, barre, roller skating, hiking, and reading.
Judge David Murphy graduated from the University of New Mexico School of Law in 2008. In his career as an attorney, he worked for the Public Defender’s Office, District Attorney’s Office and Attorney General’s Office. He was appointed by Governor Lujan Grisham to the Metropolitan Court in 2019, and to the District Court in 2022. He currently serves in the Second Judicial District Court’s Criminal Division, where he also presides over the Veterans Court program. Judge Murphy is a member of the Supreme Court’s Equity & Justice Commission, and works as Adjunct Faculty for the Law School’s Evidence & Trial Practice class. Outside of work, you can find David riding his bike in the bosque, or walking his corgi, Buster, with his husband Damien.
Disclaimer:
Thank you for listening! This episode was produced by the State Bar of New Mexico’s Well-Being Committee and the New Mexico Lawyer Assistance Program. All editing and sound mixing was done by BlueSky eLearn. Intro music is by Gil Flores. The views of the presenters are that of their own and are not endorsed by the State Bar of New Mexico. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment or legal advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.