Judge Karen Townsend reflects on lengthy career as retirement approaches

• Karen Townsend is ending her career as a judge at the end of this month.
• She is a 1982 Aztec High School graduate who earned her law degree from Syracuse.
• Townsend was appointed to the bench in 2006 by then-Gov. Bill Richardson.

As the longest-serving district judge in San Juan County, and especially as one who has handled primarily felony criminal cases, Judge Karen Townsend has regularly presided over cases in which some of the worst aspects of human behavior are on display.

Yet, she insists that hasn’t led her to take a dim view of mankind as she prepares to step down from the bench after nearly 18 years.

“I don’t believe that a lot of the defendants who came before me are evil — they’re not,” Townsend said March 27 after announcing her retirement as an 11^th Judicial District judge serving San Juan and McKinley counties, which is effective March 31.

Townsend said many of the people who appeared before her after being accused of felony crimes were simply those whose addictions led them to make poor decisions.

“I don’t have a jaundiced view of humanity, although I’ve had my share of truly evil people,” she said. “And those are the cases that are easiest to handle. But in so many other cases, I was dealing with people who really wanted to do better.”

Townsend was appointed to her position in 2006 by then-Gov. Bill Richardson, becoming only the second female judge in the district. Later that same year, she was elected to a full term.

It didn’t take her long to start making an impact. By 2008, Townsend had initiated a treatment court program with the assistance of Weldon Neff, the court executive officer. Townsend said that program helped address many of the issues experienced by those folks whose addictions had led them to make the kind of mistakes that got them into trouble with the law.

“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,’” she stated in a news release announcing her retirement.

In that news release, Chief District Judge Curtis Curley issued a statement noting that Townsend’s experience will be missed.

“Judge Townsend has served our community and the state well for nearly two decades,” he said.

More:Farmington municipal judge calling it quits after more than 30 years on bench

Townsend, a 1982 Aztec High School graduate who earned her law degree from Syracuse, began leaving her imprint on the legal system even before she became a judge. For seven years, Townsend worked as an associate at the Farmington law firm of Tansey, Rosebrough, Gerding and Strother, where she helped launch the Court Appointed Special Advocates program with former judge Benjamin Eastburn, an initiative that provides volunteer advocates for foster children as they move through the child welfare system.

Townsend said she certainly didn’t plan on serving as a judge for nearly 18 years when Richardson appointed her to the position in 2006, but she found it to be a fulfilling experience.

“It was the best job I could have ever hoped for,” she said. “I believe in service to your community, and that’s what I do in this job.”

That doesn’t mean being a judge doesn’t come with its own set of disappointments. Townsend responded quickly when asked what frustrated her most about the job.

“The repeat offenders — the people who did not take the chance at treatment and reoffended,” she said.

Townsend said she is retiring because she wants to spend more time with her family, though she chuckled as she said that, noting how that response has become a cliché.

“That’s the typical answer all the legislators give,” she said. “But it’s true.”

Her advice for her successor on the bench was simple.

“Just to listen to all sides,” she said. “We’ve got a lot of really good attorneys in San Juan County. Just listen to everyone and make informed decisions, and they’ll be fine.”

Townsend and Katrina Barber, her trial court administrative assistant who also is departing, will be honored at a gathering in Aztec on Tuesday, April 2.

Mike Easterling can be reached at 505-564-4610 ormeasterling@daily-times.com. Support local journalism with a digital subscription: http://bit.ly/2I6TU0e.