Court of Appeals Judge Shammara Henderson to Speak at the 2025 Commencement Ceremony
May 2, 2025
The UNM School of Law will hold its 2025 Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, May 17.
This year, the School of Law is honored to welcome Court of Appeals Judge Shammara H. Henderson as the keynote speaker. Appointed to the New Mexico Court of Appeals in February 2020, Judge Henderson made history as the first Black appellate judge and the first Black woman to hold statewide office in New Mexico. She is also a proud alumna of the School of Law, receiving her J.D. in 2007.
Judge Henderson began her legal career as a clerk for Justice Charles W. Daniels on the New Mexico Supreme Court before joining the Second Judicial District Attorney’s Office and then becoming the Associate General Counsel for the Governor’s Office. Later, she worked for the Office of the United States Attorney’s for the District of New Mexico, and then co-founded Henderson & Grohman, which later merged with Freedman-Boyd, et al., where she practiced in criminal, civil, and administrative law at both trial and appellate levels. She has also served as an adjunct professor at the UNM School of Law.
Judge Henderson shared, “I am honored to address this year’s graduating class. Over the years, I have remained connected with the school and its students, and I am thrilled to see so many brilliant, creative, and determined law students graduate from my alma mater and join our bar.”
