William J. Martínez
Mexican-American judge (born 1954)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
William Joseph Martínez (born José Guillermo Martínez 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.
1954 (age 71–72)
William J. Martínez | |
|---|---|
| Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado | |
| Assumed office February 10, 2023 | |
| Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado | |
| In office December 21, 2010 – February 10, 2023 | |
| Appointed by | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Edward Nottingham |
| Succeeded by | Gordon Gallagher |
| Personal details | |
| Born | José Guillermo Martínez Escalante 1954 (age 71–72) |
| Education | University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (BA, BS) University of Chicago (JD) |
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 J.D. degree from the University of Chicago Law School in 1980.[3][4]
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][4]
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.[5][6] He received his commission the same day. He assumed senior status on February 10, 2023.[4]