Chief Justice David K. Thomson takes the oath of office, with his wife, Patty, and daughter, Ava, at his side. The oath was administered by outgoing Chief Justice C. Shannon Bacon. (Photo courtesy of the Administrative Office of the Courts.)SANTA FE – Justice David K. Thomson was sworn in today as Chief Justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court.
The justice was elected to the position by his colleagues on the five-member court and will serve a two-year term. He succeeds Justice C. Shannon Bacon, who has served as Chief Justice since 2022.
“I am honored and privileged to assume the leadership of the state’s judicial branch of government,” said Chief Justice Thomson. “I am grateful to work with all of our committed judges, court staff, and judicial partners to ensure we stand up to our obligations to provide fair and impartial justice and to protect the rights and liberties of the people of New Mexico. My priority will be to utilize the resources our governor and legislature have provided us to improve the quality of our state judicial system through an emphasis on transparency, professionalism, education and best practices.”
Chief Justice Thomson is the 43rd person to serve as Chief Justice since statehood.
The Chief Justice presides over Supreme Court hearings and conferences, and serves as the administrative authority over personnel, budgets and general operations of all state courts. Additionally, the Chief Justice acts as an advocate for the Judiciary on legislative and other matters.
Chief Justice Thomson was appointed to the Supreme Court in 2019, and won election in 2020. Before joining the state’s highest court, he served as a judge on the First Judicial District Court, worked as a sole practitioner in the private practice of law, and held several legal positions in the state Attorney General’s Office, including deputy attorney and director of the litigation division.
Chief Justice Thomson was born and raised in Santa Fe. He received his law degree from the University of Denver College of Law in 1998, and earned an undergraduate degree in economics and government from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn. Before attending law school, Chief Justice Thomson was a legislative aide in Washington, D.C. for U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman, who is now retired.
As a member of the Supreme Court, Chief Justice Thomson worked to establish an educational program in 2021 to help young people learn about the rule of law in America’s democracy by watching an oral argument in a case before the Court. For this year’s Rule of Law Program, the Court will convene on April 29 at Central New Mexico Community College (CNM) in Albuquerque to consider a case involving the New Mexico Human Rights Act.