Gallup Sun ● June 16, 2023

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CITY ENFORCES WATER RESTRICTIONS AFTER LINE BREAKS Pg. 4

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VOL 9 | ISSUE 429 | JUNE 16, 2023

Longtime county attorney takes the bench By Holly J. Wagner Sun Correspondent

T

here’s a new judge in town, but he’s not new in town. Former County Attorney Doug Decker was sworn in as an 11th District Court judge May 22 after Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham appointed him to succeed Judge Robert Aragon upon his retirement. Decker leaves the county po s t a f t er 27 a nd a h a l f years advising the McKinley Cou nt y Com m i s sion a nd administrators. His name wa s one of three that the local nominating committee submitted to Lujan Grisham for consideration. “I wasn’t going to [apply] at f i r st , but some people

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encouraged me to think about it. I ended up praying about it and I got a distinct impression that I should put my application in, so I did,“ he said. “I need to serve the citizens of McKinley County in a more personal way. I was serving as county attorney and that was kind of in a general way.” On the surface it looks like a small change: his new of f ice i s one f loor dow n (about 700 steps) away from his old one. His parking space moved two over. “I’m still coming to work and going home from work,” he said. “It is a different view from this side.” Serving as county attorney kept Decker close to both research and practice of the

law, and also working with the public. But the nuts and bolts of his new job are a lot different, starting with just over 300 cases assigned to him on day one. Distr ict 11 judges hea r b o t h c r i m i n a l a nd c i v i l cases – in larger jurisdictions judges often hear just one type or the other. So far for Decker, that has meant mostly domestic violence and probation revocation hearings. His first criminal jury trial is on the docket for this month. “I ’m hu m ble d by it . I a cc e pt e d t he gover nor ’s appointment. I’m excited for the change,” he said. “I could have been happy staying with the county too, but this is a good thing.”

Eleventh District Court Judge Doug Decker

Gallup Sun • Friday June 16, 2023 1


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