Crystal Lees

Professional career

• Democratic Party judge appointed in January 2025 to Division XXIV of the Second Judicial District Court in New Mexico, serving in the Family Division and running for re‐election in 2026
• Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham appointed Crystal Lees to Division XXIV of the Second Judicial District Court on January 16, 2025, replacing retired Judge Debra Ramirez
• Appointed to Division XXIV of New Mexico’s Second Judicial District Court in January 2025, succeeding retired Judge Debra Ramirez in the Family Division.
• Before joining the bench, Lees held the role of a domestic relations hearing officer for the Second Judicial District Court from 2018, addressing custody, divorce, support and domestic violence matters.
• Her earlier work included private practice and the New Mexico Human Services Department’s Child Support Enforcement Division

Education

Additional information

• Appointment commenced January 18, 2025.
• The cited governor’s announcement dates the appointment January 16, 2025.
• She was admitted to the New Mexico bar in 2012.
• She also worked in private practice and with the New Mexico Human Services Division’s Child Support Enforcement Division
• Before her judicial appointment, Lees served for over a decade as a Domestic Relations Hearing Officer in the same court, presiding over child custody, divorce, child support, and domestic violence cases.
• Her campaign biography identifies her as an Albuquerque native and a graduate of Sandia High School, the University of New Mexico and Texas Tech University School of Law.