Saturday, July 23, 2005

New judge 'serious' about the law

Governor appoints T or C attorney Matt Reynolds to vacancy in district

Audry Olmsted El Defensor Chieftain Reporter

AOLMSTED Gov. Bill Richardson appointed Matt Reynolds this week as the new 7th Judicial District judge.

"I'm very grateful to Gov. Richardson for appointing me," Reynolds said in a phone interview. "I was confident I would get the position."

"Matthew Reynolds has shown humanitarianism and passion for his profession. He will make a valuable addition to the bench," Richardson said in a press release.

Reynolds, an attorney and child advocate in Truth or Consequences, said his first order of business is to get to know the people in the counties.

"I'm an honest person. I'm a hard worker and I know the law well. My goal is to get the job done and make the community safer for our kids to grow up," he said. "I want all the kids in the district to be safe and have a good life.

"I'm not an imposing character, but when it comes to the law, I'm very serious."

He said he would have his main office in T or C, but will be traveling to the other counties frequently.

"I'm going to be in Socorro a lot," he said.

The new judge will cover Catron, Sierra, Socorro and Torrance counties.

Reynolds is married and has three children.

His wife, Susan, is an artist and children's author. There oldest daughter, Hannah, 23, has just finished a Fulbright scholarship in France and is getting ready to start a doctorate program at Duke University in South Carolina. Rose, 22, is a supervisor at the Mall of America theme park in Minneapolis, Minn. Sam, 20, is in the military and is currently in the South China Sea looking for pirates, Reynolds said. Youngest son Gabe, who will be a junior at Hot Springs High School this fall, is active in track and FFA.

"I'm very proud of them," Reynolds said of his family.

Reynolds, a Democrat, said he wanted to commend Judge Kenneth Brown, who has been covering cases since Thomas Fitch resigned in April.

"I want to publicly thank Brown for all his hard work for the 7th Judicial District," he said. "Brown has done an excellent job."

Reynolds said because he has so much work waiting for him in his new position, he hopes to begin working full-time as a judge the first week of August.

"I'm going to start right away," he said.

The new judge said he has already closed down his practice in T or C and has passed on cases he was handling to other people.

He said Socorroans should expect to see him at community events, getting to know the residents.

Reynolds has a law degree with honors from the University of Wyoming, a master's degree in Theology and a bachelor's degree in Classical Languages from the University of Notre Dame.

He has been a solo practitioner in T or C since October 1992.

The swearing in ceremony in Socorro will be Wednesday, Aug. 3, at 5 p.m. at the County Courthouse.

He will be sworn in Aug. 1 at the Sierra County Courthouse, Aug. 2 at the Torrance County Courthouse and Aug. 5 at the Catron County Courthouse.

Each swearing in ceremony is at 5 p.m. with a reception afterward.

"I hope I do a good job as a judge in Socorro," he said. "I'm real excited about it."

Reynolds must stand for re-election to the post in a partisan contest next year, possibly in the June primary, if he's opposed within his own party, and/or in the November general election. If re-elected in 2006, he would then face a non-partisan retention vote in four years.

aolmsted@dchieftain.com

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