LAS CRUCES, N.M. – Chickasaw citizen Jannette Mondragón has made history as the first female First American magistrate judge in Doña Ana County.
“I am so proud to be a voice that is uplifting Indigenous voices at a table we have never had a seat,” Mondragón said.
Appointed March 29, 2024, by New Mexico Governor Michelle Grisham , Mondragón filled the seat previously occupied by Judge Rebecca Duffin. Duffin was appointed as Third Judicial District Court Judge.
Mondragón said accepting this position is both humbling and uplifting. As a minority, Mondragón hopes other First Americans can be encouraged by her story.
“I have a community to represent,” Mondragón said. “I want to represent and be a resilient, positive role model for Chickasaws and other Indigenous people who want to work in law.”
Becoming the first magistrate judge in Doña Ana County of First American lineage is an honorable accomplishment prompted by years of hard work and dedication. A nontraditional law student, Mondragón began law school when she was 34 years old. Before pursuing a law degree, she attended New Mexico State University where she obtained bachelor’s degrees in criminal justice and linguistics.
Soon after obtaining her bachelor’s degrees, Mondragón met her husband, Ronnie, in 2004.
“It was a whirlwind romance, and I was married within eight months,” Mondragón said.
Two months after the wedding, her husband was deployed. In six years, he participated in six deployments. Mondragón was fully immersed in the life of a military spouse and mother, tending to the household and raising their first son, Preston, while Ronnie was overseas. She also worked full time as a Child Protective Services (CPS) case worker, dreaming of one day working in the judicial system. When Ronnie returned from his final tour with a spinal cord injury, “primary caregiver to a disabled veteran” was added to her long list of titles.
After their second son, Ethan, had been born and her husband’s health had stabilized, Mondragón knew it was time to pursue her lifelong dream of a future in law.
“I thought to myself, ‘If I am ever going to go to law school, this is the time,’” Mondragón said. “In my mid-30s, I was applying to law schools. I was accepted to multiple universities.”
University of New Mexico was close to home for Mondragón, making it more enticing to the mother of young children. The university also offered a pre-law summer institute for First American students.
“It’s essentially a boot camp for First American students going to law school,” Mondragón said. “They teach you everything you need to know to be successful in law school. It is the only one of its kind in the country, and I owe a lot of what I am to that program.”
While in law school, Mondragón also found herself working two internships – one at a public defender’s office and another with the U.S. attorney’s office. While at the U.S. attorney’s office, Mondragón took an interest in Indian Country crime.
“That’s where I realized how many jurisdictional issues we have in Indian Country that make it very difficult to help victims,” Mondragón said. “We started seeing those issues like MMIW [Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women] because of jurisdictional issues.”
Mondragón said her eyes were opened to a future of service in criminal law. She wanted to chase after that goal.
Upon graduation, Mondragón began working at the 13th Judicial District Attorney’s Office in New Mexico. She began working in misdemeanor charges, but quickly moved to more serious felony crimes.
“I started working crimes against children, which, looking back on my life, I am starting to realize is my passion,” she said. “From my past in Child Protective Services to working on crimes against children to eventually sitting on boards like Pegasus Legal Services for Children, I realize how important child advocacy is to me.”
Her time at the 13th Judicial District Attorney’s Office ended when she decided to move to Las Cruces to help her parents as their health declined. She began working closely in immigration law and child support cases when the Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge position opened.
“I applied and was selected, so that’s my legal journey and the backstory to how I got here,” Mondragón said.
Although tremendously accomplished, Mondragón continues to be humble.
“I am not proud of myself. I am proud of the people who helped me get here,” she said. “I am not here alone. I am here on the shoulders of my ancestors, my community, mentors and my family.”
Mondragón said the support of the Chickasaw Nation helped mold her into who she is today.
“The Chickasaw Nation is one of the biggest pieces to my puzzle of success,” Mondragón said. “Without the support of my tribe, I don’t think I would be where I am. It is incredible the resources they can provide and the lives they can change. The Chickasaw Nation is affecting real change, even if they may not realize it. They are positively changing distant communities.”