BY MAIRE O’NEILL
maire@losalamosreporter.com

Los Alamos County Council has approved the appointment of Felicia L. Orth and Jessica M. Maupin as Alternate Judges for Los Alamos Municipal Court. The action, listed on the consent agenda, allows the two women to serve as temporary judges during any temporary incapacity or absence of duly elected Municipal Judge Elizabeth Allen for a period not to exceed her current term of office.

Felicia L. Orth is a resident of Los Alamos County pursuant to the requirements in Municipal Code Sec. 26-44.  Ms. Orth has a Juris Doctorate (JD) from University of Wisconsin-Madison.  She has been practicing law in New Mexico since 1987.  Ms. Orth has previously served as the Los Alamos Assistant County Attorney (1996-2000) and as Administrative Law Judge for the Air Quality Control Board, the Environmental Protection Agency, the New Mexico Environment Department, the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department, the New Mexico Horse Racing Commission and the New Mexico Medical Board. 

Jessica M. Maupin is a resident of Los Alamos County pursuant to the requirements in Municipal Code Sec. 26-44.  Ms. Maupin has a Juris Doctorate (JD) from University of New Mexico.  She has been licensed to practice law in New Mexico since 2006.  Ms. Maupin has previously interned at the District Attorneys’ offices in Bernalillo and Santa Fe Counties and practiced law with law firms in New Mexico.  Ms. Maupin currently runs her own solo-practice law firm, called The Maupin Law Firm, in Los Alamos, which she started in 2018.  Her practice is a general practice which includes courtroom appearances. 

The cost for an alternate judge is earmarked in the Municipal Court budget.  This amount is budgeted at an estimated $1,500 a year and the alternate judges will be paid as a vendor, not as employees of Los Alamos County.