Kevin R. Sweazea

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| honorific-prefix =

| name = Kevin R. Sweazea

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| office1 = Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico

| term_start1 = May 3, 2017

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| office2 = Judge of the Seventh Judicial District Court of New Mexico

| term_start2 = March 2001

| term_end2 = May 3, 2017

| appointer2 = Gary Johnson

| predecessor2 = Neil Mertz

| successor2 = Shannon Murdock

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| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1963}}

| birth_place = McIntosh, South Dakota, U.S.

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| education = New Mexico State University (BAcy)
Baylor University (JD)

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Kevin Ray Sweazea (born 1963)[https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Kevin%20Sweazea%20SJQ%20-%20PUBLIC.pdf United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees: Kevin Sweazea] is a United States magistrate judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico and a former nominee to be a United States district judge of the same court.

Education

Sweazea earned his Bachelor of Accountancy from New Mexico State University and his Juris Doctor from Baylor Law School.[https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/presidential-actions/president-donald-j-trump-announces-judicial-nominees-united-states-marshal-nominee-2/ "President Donald J. Trump Announces Judicial Nominees and United States Marshal Nominee" White House, May 29, 2019] {{PD-notice}}

Career

Early in his career, Sweazea worked for various New Mexico law firms in private practice, where his practice included litigation, regulatory, and transactional matters. Judge Sweazea has also served as a member of the New Mexico Environmental Improvement Board and Socorro County Land Use Commission.

Sweazea was appointed to the Seventh Judicial District Court of New Mexico by then Governor Gary Johnson in March 2001.{{Cite web |url=https://seventhdistrictcourt.nmcourts.gov/district-court-judges.aspx |title=District Court Judges |website=seventhdistrictcourt.nmcourt.gov |access-date=2019-05-30}} He was retained in the 2002, 2008 and 2014 elections{{Cite web |url=https://www.nmjpec.org/en/judge-evaluation?election_id=166&year=2008 |title=New Mexico Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission, "Kevin R. Sweazea Judicial Evaluation 2008" |website=www.nmjpec.org |access-date=2019-05-30}}{{Cite web |url=https://nmjpec.org/en/judge-evaluation?election_id=252&year=2014 |title=New Mexico Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission, "Kevin R. Sweazea Judicial Evaluation 2014" |website=www.nmjpec.org |access-date=2019-05-30}} and served ten years as Chief Judge.

Federal judicial service

Sweazea was selected as a magistrate judge on May 3, 2017.{{Cite web |url=https://www.nmd.uscourts.gov/news/honorable-kevin-sweazea-appointed-us-magistrate-judge |title=The Honorable Kevin Sweazea Appointed as U.S. Magistrate Judge |date=2017-05-03 |website=www.nmd.uscourts.gov |access-date=2019-05-30}}

= Failed nomination to district court =

On May 29, 2019, President Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate Sweazea to serve as a United States district judge for the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico. On June 12, 2019, his nomination was sent to the Senate. President Trump nominated Sweazea to the seat vacated by Judge Robert C. Brack, who took senior status on July 25, 2018.[https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/presidential-actions/six-nominations-two-withdrawals-sent-senate/ "Six Nominations and Two Withdrawals Sent to the Senate", White House, June 12, 2019] On October 29, 2019 it was announced that Sweazea withdrew his nomination after New Mexico's two senators, Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich, withdrew their initial support for him.{{Cite web |url=https://apnews.com/7a29f7b642394820894dc87dbaf7ba6d |title=Judge withdraws from consideration for District Court seat |date=2019-10-29 |website=AP NEWS |access-date=2019-11-22}} On January 3, 2020, his nomination was returned to the President under Rule XXXI, Paragraph 6 of the United States Senate.{{Cite web |url=https://www.congress.gov/nomination/116th-congress/856 |title=PN856 - Nomination of Kevin Ray Sweazea for The Judiciary, 116th Congress (2019–2020) |date=2020-01-03 |website=www.congress.gov |access-date=2020-01-04}}