Investiture Ceremony Set for U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez

ALBUQUERQUE – U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez will take the Oath of Office at 3:00 p.m., Friday, Oct. 17, 2014, during an investiture ceremony at the U.S. District Courthouse, 333 Lomas Blvd. NW, Albuquerque, N.M.  The ceremony will take place in the Rio Grande Courtroom.

Chief Judge M. Christina Armijo of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico will preside over the investiture ceremony, and Senior U.S. District Judge James A. Parker will administer the Oath of Office to U.S. Attorney Martinez.  Guest speakers will be Senator Tom Udall and Acting Assistant Attorney General Molly J. Moran of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.  The invocation will be given by Antonio Chewiwi, Jr., 1st Lt. Governor of the Pueblo of Isleta.  Solo vocal renditions of The National Anthem and America the Beautiful will be presented by Ross Daugherty, who will be accompanied by cellist Kristin Daugherty.

U.S. Attorney Martinez was appointed to his post by President Barack Obama upon the recommendation of Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich. He has served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of New Mexico since 2001, most recently serving as the First Assistant U.S. Attorney and before that as the Supervisor of the Organized Crime Section.  As a federal prosecutor, his experience has focused on complex drug cases, immigration cases, and national security and anti-terrorism matters.  From 1996 to 1998, he was an Assistant Attorney General in the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office.  Additionally, he has served as a Special Assistant District Attorney in three Judicial Districts in the State of New Mexico.

U.S. Attorney Martinez serves as the top federal law enforcement official in New Mexico and represents the United States’ interests in civil cases.  He leads an office of 84 Assistant U.S. Attorneys, three Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys, 75 support staff and 20 contract employees working in offices in Albuquerque and Las Cruces, N.M.

A native of New Mexico, Mr. Martinez received a Bachelor of Arts degree in both Economics and Political Science in 1989, a Juris Doctor in 1992, and a Master of Business Administration in 1993, all from the University of New Mexico.