The Honorable Judge Samantha Madrid was born in Las Cruces, New Mexico to one of the founding families of the Mesilla Valley. She obtained her bachelor's degree in English and History from the University of New Mexico. She later went on to serve as a High School Teacher in the Inner-city of Fort Worth, Texas. She discovered her passion for the law and fighting for the rights of those less fortunate.
Due to this passion, she decided to attend the University of New Mexico Law School, where she graduated and obtained her license. She went on to serve at a large personal injury law firm focusing on misplacement, abuse, and wrongful death of children in the state foster care system.
Finally, she moved back to her beloved home in Las Cruces, New Mexico to work in the areas of Family Law, Personal Injury and Criminal Defense. She closed her private practice to serve as an Assistant District Attorney and then Magistrate Judge of Dona Ana County for eight years. During her tenure as judge she presided over thousands of trials and was the presiding judge over Drug Court for two years. Drug Court was an extraordinary opportunity to help those in need of substance abuse counseling.
Her diverse experience and dedication to the less fortunate has made her a strong advocate for the oppressed. Her work in the prosecution of domestic violence also made her a fair, impartial and compassionate Judge.