Carol Jean Vigil

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Carol Jean Vigil
New Mexico 1st Judicial District Judge
In office
June 1998 – 2005
Assistant Attorney General, serving under
New Mexico Attorney General Jeff Bingaman
Personal details
BornOctober 24, 1947
DiedMarch 27, 2009(2009-03-27) (aged 61)
Tesuque Pueblos
.

Carol Jean Vigil (October 24, 1947 – March 27, 2009

Pueblo people
.

Biography

Early life

Vigil received her bachelor's degree from the University of New Mexico.[2] She also earned her law degree in 1977 from the University of New Mexico as well.[2]

She became the first

Pueblo woman to be admitted to the New Mexico state bar following her completion of law school.[3] Vigil soon began working for the Indian Pueblo Legal Services Inc.[2]

Vigil became Assistant Attorney General in the office of

Tesuque Pueblos.[2]

Vigil was hired by the 1st Judicial District of New Mexico as a

Santa Fe County once remarked to her that she put "more people in the Santa Fe County jail than the district attorney."[2]

The

Santa Fe New Mexican named Vigil one of the "10 Who Made a Difference" in its annual list in 1995.[2]

State judge

Carol Jean Vigil was sworn in as a New Mexican 1st Judicial District state judge in June 1998.

Los Alamos counties.[3] In doing so, she became the first Native American female judge in New Mexico and the first Native American to be elected a judge of any general jurisdiction court in the United States.[2] In a tribute to her heritage, Vigil was sworn into office while wearing a black judicial robe decorated with beaded Pueblo Indian symbols that included lightning, clouds, rain and mountains embroidered on her shoulders.[2]

In one of her most notable rulings, Vigil upheld state court jurisdiction over

Native American gambling enterprises.[2] The Puebloes of New Mexico opposed her decision.[2]

election campaign, later discussed his former boss saying, "She was very serious about her work, really concerned about getting it right...very thoughtful and well prepared."[2]

Vigil retired as a

district court judge in 2005, citing declining health.[2] She suffered from diabetes and other ailments.[3]

Death

Vigil died in her sleep in Tesuque, New Mexico, on March 27, 2009, at the age of 61.[2] She was survived by her husband, Philip Palmer, whom she had been married to for 31 years; her daughter, Sparo Arika Vigil; her mother, Evelyn Vigil; and her brother, Martin Vigil.[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Carol Jean Vigil (1947-2009)". Find A Grave. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  2. ^
    Santa Fe New Mexican. Archived from the original
    on 2013-02-01. Retrieved 2009-04-15.
  3. ^ a b c d "Nation's first Native American female judge dies". KWES-TV. Associated Press. 2009-03-29. Retrieved 2009-04-15.[permanent dead link]
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