--- title: "Kristopher N. Houghton | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/kristopher-n-houghton-court-of-appeals-judge-new-mexico-court-of-appeals-nm" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Kristopher N. Houghton New Mexico Court of Appeals · Court of Appeals Judge ## Profile - Court: New Mexico Court of Appeals - State: New Mexico - Role: Court of Appeals Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-26 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Houghton took the oath of office on September 5, 2025, in a public investiture ceremony led by Chief Judge Jacqueline R. Medina - Kristopher Nicolas “Kris” Houghton is a judge of the New Mexico Court of Appeals, appointed on August 5, 2025 by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham after being recommended by the Bi‐Partisan Judicial Nominating Commission. - The court reports service with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Albuquerque from 2012 to 2025, progressing from law clerk to criminal-division assistant U.S. attorney, DOJ judicial attaché in Bogotá, criminal-division chief, and civil-division work - Law clerk for NM Supreme Court Justice Charles W. Daniels (2008–2010) and later for Court of Appeals Judge J. Miles Hanisee - His early career encompassed clerkships for New Mexico Supreme Court Justice Charles Daniels and Appeals Judge Miles Hanisee ### Education - Houghton earned his J.D. from the University of New Mexico School of Law (Dean’s Award for Significant Contribution to the Law School Community). ### Additional information - Appointed to the New Mexico Court of Appeals in 2025 following a bipartisan judicial-nominating recommendation. - Captain in the U.S. Air Force JAG Corps, with service in the Air Force Reserve and Inactive Ready Reserve - He succeeded Judge Kristina Bogardus, whose retirement created the vacancy. - He also held the role of an Air Force Reserve judge advocate, attaining captain before entering the Inactive Ready Reserve. - His academic qualifications include his law degree at the University of New Mexico; after earlier attendance at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, he earned bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and Spanish at California State University, San Marcos. ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### media electronic device coverage Scope: statewide New Mexico Rule 23-107 authorizes broadcasting, televising, photographing, and recording in state court proceedings subject to the rule's guidelines and judicial control. Evidence excerpt: The broadcasting, televising, photographing, and recording of court proceedings in the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, district courts, magistrate courts, and metropolitan courts of the State of New Mexico are hereby authorized in accordance with the guidelines promulgated herewith. [Rule 23-107. Broadcasting, televising, photographing and recording of court proceedings](https://nmcourts.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Rule-23-107-12-20-2018.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### remote proceedings conduct Scope: statewide New Mexico Judiciary remote-proceedings standards treat virtual courtrooms as formal courtroom settings and impose conduct expectations for remote participants. Evidence excerpt: The courtroom, whether a physical in-person courtroom, or a virtual courtroom, remains a formal and serious setting where judges hear matters involving real people that affect real lives. [New Mexico Judiciary Remote Proceedings and Meeting Standards](https://firstdistrict.nmcourts.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2024/04/NEW-MEXICO-JUDICIARY-REMOTE-PROCEEDINGS-AND-MEETING-STANDARDS.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://coa.nmcourts.gov/about/judges) - [Official roster](https://coa.nmcourts.gov/about/judges) - [New Mexico Courts official judicial roster](https://coa.nmcourts.gov/about/judges) - [Rule 23-107. Broadcasting, televising, photographing and recording of court proceedings](https://nmcourts.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Rule-23-107-12-20-2018.pdf) - [New Mexico Judiciary Remote Proceedings and Meeting Standards](https://firstdistrict.nmcourts.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2024/04/NEW-MEXICO-JUDICIARY-REMOTE-PROCEEDINGS-AND-MEETING-STANDARDS.pdf) - [coa.nmcourts.gov](https://coa.nmcourts.gov/about/judges/) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/kristopher-n-houghton-court-of-appeals-judge-new-mexico-court-of-appeals-nm", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/kristopher-n-houghton-court-of-appeals-judge-new-mexico-court-of-appeals-nm", "name": "Kristopher N. Houghton | KnowJudges", "description": "Kristopher N. Houghton, New Mexico Court of Appeals. 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