On April 30, 2010, President Obama signed the Commission of Kenneth J. Gonzales as United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico; Gonzales was sworn into office on May 3, 2010. As U.S. Attorney, Gonzales serves as the top federal law enforcement officer in New Mexico and represents the United States’ interests in civil cases. Gonzales serves on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee’s Native American Issues Subcommittee, Southwest Border Subcommittee, Marijuana Enforcement Working Group, the Environmental and National Resources Working Group, and the Controlled Substances/Asset Forfeiture Working Group.

Gonzales, a native New Mexican, received both his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of New Mexico. After law school, he served as a judicial law clerk to New Mexico Supreme Court Justice Joseph F. Baca and then joined Senator Jeff Bingaman’s Office as a legislative assistant. In 1999, Gonzales began his career as a federal prosecutor in the United States Attorney’s Office in the District of New Mexico, during which he prosecuted a wide range of federal offenses.

Gonzales has served in the United States Army Reserve since 2001, and currently holds the rank of Major. Gonzales also has served on the University of New Mexico School of Law Alumni Association Board of Directors and the Board of Directors of the New Mexico Hispanic Bar Association. He is a member of the New Mexico Bar Association.