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The U.S. Senate confirmed Las Cruces-born Sarah Davenport as New Mexico’s next federal judge on Thursday, Dec. 5, marking the fourth Biden administration appointment in four years to a New Mexico bench.
Outgoing President Joe Biden nominated Davenport in August to replace the state's top federal judge, William P. Johnson, who has held the seat since 2001. Unlike Johnson, a Bush appointee who held court in Albuquerque, Davenport will be based in Las Cruces' federal courthouse.
“Sarah Davenport has built an impressive legal career as a federal prosecutor in New Mexico and strong roots in her home community of Las Cruces,” said U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján in a joint statement. “We are grateful to President Biden for moving quickly to fill this vacancy so we can ensure the District of New Mexico has the capacity to serve the people of our state, delivering justice and upholding the rule of law. We look forward to supporting Ms. Davenport’s nomination and call on our colleagues in the Senate to advance her confirmation expeditiously.”
Before joining the federal bench, Davenport worked as an assistant U.S. attorney for the District of New Mexico in Las Cruces since 2009. According to Heinrich, that time involved Davenport prosecuting drug and trafficking crimes.
She received her law degree from the University of New Mexico in 2006.
Davenport is the Biden administration's 226th confirmed judge to the bench since 2021.
She was confirmed with a narrow vote of 52-45, which broke down mostly on party lines. Two Republican senators, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, as well as independent Joe Manchin of West Virginia, joined the Democrats in confirming the nomination.
“We are grateful to President Biden for moving quickly to fill this vacancy so we can ensure the District of New Mexico has the capacity to serve the people of our state, delivering justice and upholding the rule of law. We look forward to supporting Ms. Davenport’s nomination and call on our colleagues in the Senate to advance her confirmation expeditiously,” Heinrich and Lujan said.
Davenport begins her term in January.
