Judge Christine Rodriguez

Manuel Arrieta

Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court, Division II

Background
Christine E. Rodriguez is a judge in Division II of the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She primarily handles criminal matters and serves as the Presiding Judge of the court’s DWI Recovery Court Program.

Education
She received a Bachelor of Business Administration from New Mexico State University in 1995 and a Juris Doctor from the University of New Mexico School of Law in 2002.

Prior Experience
Before taking the bench, Rodriguez worked as an Assistant District Attorney in the Second Judicial District Attorney’s Office from 2002 to 2007, prosecuting cases in Metropolitan Court and the Felony Gang Crimes Unit. She later served as an attorney and manager in the Contracts Governance and Real Estate Processes Departments at Gap Inc. from 2007 to 2016.

Appointment & Current Role
A Democrat, she was elected to the bench in November 2016 after defeating the incumbent in the general election following a Democratic primary victory. She assumed office on January 1, 2017.

She has presided over the DWI Recovery Court for several years. The court, established in 1997, is one of the longest-running DWI courts in the United States.

Like many Metropolitan Court judges, she has faced criticism in individual pretrial release decisions consistent with New Mexico’s bail reform policies. Examples include releasing defendants on their own recognizance or low bonds in cases involving theft, vandalism, or other charges, some of whom later reoffended. Specific instances from 2018 involving bait car theft and property damage cases were reported by ABQ Raw and KRQE.

Election Status
She has been retained in subsequent nonpartisan retention elections, including in 2018 and in 2022. Her current term expires on December 31, 2026.

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