Judge Kathleen McGarry Ellenwood: Professional Background and Legal Expertise

Hon. Kathleen McGarry Ellenwood is a judge for the 1st Judicial District Court of New Mexico in Santa Fe County. She was appointed to the bench by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham in 2020, filling a newly created position.

The 1st Judicial District includes Santa Fe, Rio Arriba, and Los Alamos Counties.

Prior to her appointment, McGarry Ellenwood worked as a staff attorney for the 1st Judicial District, researching civil cases for judges since 2018. Before that, she was a private practice attorney and handled habeas cases as a contract attorney for the New Mexico Law Offices of the Public Defender since 2001.

McGarry Ellenwood relocated to New Mexico from Ohio in 2000. Prior to moving, she was an appellate supervisor in the Death Penalty Division of the Ohio Public Defender’s Office.

She received a bachelor’s degree from Connecticut College in 1978. McGarry Ellenwood went on to complete a J.D. at The Ohio State University, Michael E. Moritz College of Law in 1987. She was admitted to practice in Ohio and New Mexico.

Born and raised in Ohio, McGarry Ellenwood originated from Cleveland. At the time of her appointment, she resided in Glorieta, New Mexico, with her husband, a former Shell Oil executive.

She is registered as a Democrat.