WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) commend the Honorable James O. Browning, who has announced his intention to retire from regular active service effective February 2026, after 22 years of distinguished service as a United States District Court Judge for the District of New Mexico.
“Judge Browning has a well-deserved reputation for the rigor with which he considers the cases that come before him, his commitment to his profession and the mentorship of those early in their careers, and his genuine desire to do right by all who rely on the sanctity of the Rule of Law and our system of justice. We honor Judge Browning for his decades of service to the people of New Mexico,” said Heinrich and Luján. “Just as we have during previous administrations, we will work together to identify candidates to fill this vacancy. We encourage interested and qualified New Mexicans to apply.”
Judge Browning was born in Levelland, Texas and raised in Hobbs, N.M. He graduated magna cum laude from Yale University with a Bachelor of Arts in political science, and he received his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Virginia Law School. After he graduated, Judge Browning served as a law clerk to Collins J. Seitz, Chief Judge of United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and Lewis F. Powell, Jr., Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Prior to his federal appointment, Judge Browning worked as a shareholder and director at Rodey, Dickason, Sloan, Akin, & Robb, P.A., in Albuquerque. He also served as Deputy Attorney General of the State of New Mexico from 1987-1988 and as Chairman of the New Mexico Sentencing Guidelines Commission from 1988-1989. Judge Browning then went on to create his own firm, now known as Peifer, Hanson, and Mullins, in Albuquerque in 1990.
President George W. Bush nominated Browning for a federal judgeship on April 28, 2003, to a seat vacated by Curtis LeRoy Hansen. The Senate confirmed Browning on July 21, 2003, and he received his commission on August 1, 2003.
During the Biden Administration, Heinrich and Luján worked together to nominate four of the current sitting federal judges: District Judges Margaret Strickland, David Herrera Urias, Matthew Garcia, and Sarah Davenport. During the first Trump Administration, Heinrich joined with then-Senator Tom Udall to nominate current sitting federal judge: District Judge Kea Riggs.
Individuals interested in being considered to fill the vacancy should fill out an expression of interest here.
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