AZTEC, N.M. (KRQE) – District Judge Karen L. Townsend is retiring at the end of March. She has served for more than 17 years as a district judge in the Eleventh Judicial District.
Townsend was appointed by Governor Bill Richardson in 2006. Since then, she has launched a mental illness treatment court program with Court Executive Officer Weldon Neff, according to the Administrative Office of the Courts.
“The most rewarding part of my job is when I get stopped in a grocery store or on the street by someone and have them say, ‘Hey you saved my life when you sent me to treatment.’” Judge Townsend said in a press release.
Townsend plans on remaining active in the legal community after retirement. That could mean she takes a role in mediations or in legal training, she says.
