William Joseph Martínez (born José Guillermo Martínez Escalante, 1954) is a Mexican-American attorney serving as a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado.
William J. Martínez | |
|---|---|
| Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado | |
| Assumed office February 10, 2023 | |
| Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado | |
| In office December 21, 2010 – February 10, 2023 | |
| Appointed by | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Edward Nottingham |
| Succeeded by | Gordon Gallagher |
| Personal details | |
| Born | José Guillermo Martínez Escalante 1954 (age 69–70) Mexico City, Mexico |
| Education | University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (BA, BS) University of Chicago (JD) |
Early life and education
editBorn José Guillermo Martínez Escalante in Mexico City, Martínez moved to the United States with his family as a child and changed his name to William Joseph Martínez in 1974.[1] He grew up in the South Shore community of Chicago and graduated from Lyons Township High School in La Grange, Illinois.[2] Martínez earned a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1977, followed by a Juris Doctor from the University of Chicago Law School in 1980.[3][4]
Career
editFrom 1980 until 1984, Martínez served as a staff attorney for the Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago, and from 1984 until 1987, he served as a staff attorney for the foundation's Employment Law Project.[3] From 1988 until 1992, Martínez served as a senior litigation associate for a Denver law firm.[3] From 1992 until 1996, he served as a Denver-based regional attorney for the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.[3] From 1997 until 2001, Martínez worked as a sole law practitioner in Denver, and from 2001 until 2010 he was a partner at the Denver firm of McNamara & Martínez (later known as McNamara, Roseman, Martínez & Kazmierski),[3] where he specialized in employment and civil rights law.[1][4]
Federal judicial service
editOn February 24, 2010, President Barack Obama nominated Martínez to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado, to fill the seat that Judge Edward Nottingham vacated in 2008 when he resigned.[3] Martínez was confirmed by the United States Senate on December 21, 2010 by a 58–37 vote.[5][6] He received his commission the same day. He assumed senior status on February 10, 2023.[4]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Robert Boczkiewicz, One of Colorado's vacant federal judge posts filled, The Pueblo Chieftain (February 26, 2010).
- ^ Ameet Sachdev, New Colorado federal judge has Chicago roots, Chicago Tribune (January 11, 2011).
- ^ a b c d e f President Obama Nominates Three for District Court Bench, White House Office of the Press Secretary (February 24, 2010).
- ^ a b c William J. Martínez at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- ^ "On the Nomination (Confirmation William Joseph Martinez, of Colorado, to be United States District Judge for the District of Colorado)".
- ^ Mark Harden, Martínez confirmed as Colorado federal judge, Denver Business Journal (December 21, 2010).
External links
edit- William J. Martínez at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- William J. Martínez at Ballotpedia
- William J. Martínez District of Colorado