William J. Martínez Explained

William J. Martínez
Office:Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado
Term Start:February 10, 2023
Office1:Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado
Term Start1:December 21, 2010
Term End1:February 10, 2023
Appointer1:Barack Obama
Predecessor1:Edward Nottingham
Successor1:Gordon Gallagher
Birth Name:José Guillermo Martinez Escalante
Birth Place:Mexico City, Mexico
Education:University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (BA, BS)
University of Chicago (JD)

William Joseph Martínez (born José Guillermo Martinez Escalante, 1954) is a Mexican-American attorney serving as a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado.

Early life and education

Born José Guillermo Martínez Escalante in Mexico City, Martínez moved to the United States with his family as a child and changed his name to William Joseph Martínez in 1974.[1] He grew up in the South Shore community of Chicago and graduated from Lyons Township High School in La Grange, Illinois.[2] Martínez earned a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1977, followed by a Juris Doctor from the University of Chicago Law School in 1980.[3]

Career

From 1980 until 1984, Martínez served as a staff attorney for the Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago, and from 1984 until 1987, he served as a staff attorney for the foundation's Employment Law Project.[3] From 1988 until 1992, Martínez served as a senior litigation associate for a Denver law firm.[3] From 1992 until 1996, he served as a Denver-based regional attorney for the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.[3] From 1997 until 2001, Martínez worked as a sole law practitioner in Denver, and from 2001 until 2010 he was a partner at the Denver firm of McNamara & Martínez (later known as McNamara, Roseman, Martínez & Kazmierski),[3] where he specialized in employment and civil rights law.[1]

Federal judicial service

On February 24, 2010, President Barack Obama nominated Martínez to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado, to fill the seat that Judge Edward Nottingham vacated in 2008 when he resigned.[3] Martínez was confirmed by the United States Senate on December 21, 2010 by a 58–37 vote.[4] [5] He received his commission the same day. He assumed senior status on February 10, 2023.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Robert Boczkiewicz, One of Colorado's vacant federal judge posts filled, The Pueblo Chieftain (February 26, 2010).
  2. Ameet Sachdev, New Colorado federal judge has Chicago roots, Chicago Tribune (January 11, 2011).
  3. http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=122144 President Obama Nominates Three for District Court Bench
  4. Web site: On the Nomination (Confirmation William Joseph Martinez, of Colorado, to be United States District Judge for the District of Colorado).
  5. Mark Harden, Martínez confirmed as Colorado federal judge, Denver Business Journal (December 21, 2010).