Maria Montoya Chavez at a glance
- Current role
- District Court Judge
- Jurisdiction
- New Mexico · State
- Judicial service
- Active
Maria Montoya Chavez
District Court Judge · Second Judicial District Court
Maria Montoya Chavez — Second Judicial District Court
Biography
Professional career
- Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham appointed Maria Montoya Chavez on August 20, 2026 to serve as a judge on the Second Judicial District Court in New Mexico
- New Mexico District Court Judge serving on the Second Judicial District Court, appointed in August 2026 to a newly created judgeship and assigned to the Family Court Division
Education
- St. Mary’s University — J.D. (1999)
- Bachelor’s degree, Criminology — University of New Mexico
Additional information
- Sutin, Thayer & Browne president/CEO and family attorney.
- Montoya Chavez has over 25 years of legal practice in New Mexico
- focusing on family law.
- President and CEO of Sutin, Thayer & Browne, a family law firm.
- The first woman to hold this specific appointment in the Second Judicial District’s Family Court Division
- Her judgeship was newly created by the New Mexico Legislature
- She previously held the role of Chair of the Family Law Section of the State Bar of New Mexico and is a member of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals
Published courtroom rules
Shared court rules
New Mexico Rule 23-107 — media coverage
Second Judicial District Court
2018 dated rule; not extended to Municipal Courts. Media coverage exceptions and judicial control apply. Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory.
Official source ↗ · Collected 2026-10-27Sources
nm-governor.nmgov.onconcourse.com
Identity source · HTML · Source checked October 4, 2026
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