Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham has appointed Kristopher Nicolas Houghton to the New Mexico Court of Appeals. The appointment fills the vacancy left by Judge Kristina Bogardus, who resigned from her position.
Houghton’s term will begin on August 16 and continue until the next general election, which will occur one year after his appointment as required by state law.
Houghton is currently an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Civil Division for the District of New Mexico. He previously served as Chief of the Criminal Division from July 2022 to May 2025. Additionally, he led the Office of the Judicial Attache managing the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section for the U.S. Department of Justice in Bogotá, Colombia, overseeing what was described as the busiest extradition practice globally.
He graduated from the University of New Mexico School of Law and was admitted to practice in New Mexico in 2008. Earlier in his career, Houghton worked as a judicial law clerk at both the New Mexico Supreme Court and the New Mexico Court of Appeals.
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