Heinrich, Luján Successfully Secure the Confirmation of Sarah Davenport for U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) secured the confirmation of Sarah Davenport for U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico.

“Sarah Davenport has built an impressive legal career as a federal prosecutor in New Mexico and has strong roots in her home community of Las Cruces,” said Heinrich and Luján. “We are proud to have secured Ms. Davenport’s confirmation and look forward to her serving the District of New Mexico, delivering justice, and upholding the rule of law.”

Sarah Morgan Davenport has served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico in Las Cruces, New Mexico, since 2009. In that capacity, her practice focused on prosecuting complex, multi-defendant criminal cases. From 2008 to 2009, Ms. Davenport served as a Special Assistant United States Attorney for the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico in Las Cruces. And from 2006 to 2008, she served as an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Law Clerk with the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico in Albuquerque. She received her J.D. from the University of New Mexico in 2006 and her B.M. from the University of New Mexico in 1998.

In September, before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Heinrich and Luján introduced Sarah Davenport for consideration to serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico. The senators strongly recommended Davenport to the Biden Administration and welcomed the announcement of her nomination in August.

In June, Heinrich and Luján commended the Honorable William Paul Johnson, who announced his intention to retire from regular active service as a United States District Court Judge effective in January 2025, after 23 years of distinguished service on the federal bench. The seat on the District Court for the District of New Mexico, which Davenport has been confirmed to fill, will be based in Las Cruces, N.M.

During the Biden Administration, Heinrich and Luján have worked together to confirm three of the currently sitting federal judges: District Judges Margaret Strickland, David Herrera Urias, and Matthew Garcia. In August, the senators also successfully secured the confirmation of David O. Barnett, Jr. for U.S. Marshal for the District of New Mexico. During the Trump Administration, Heinrich joined with then-Senator Tom Udall to confirm one additional currently sitting federal judge: District Judge Kea Riggs.

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