Ex-Magistrate Judge Accused of Hostile Workplace Denied Review

A Judicial Conference committee rejected a former US magistrate judge’s request to review a court order laying out her alleged misconduct that included unpredictable outbursts and threats of termination.

Carmen E. Garza had sought review of a September 2022 order by a council of Tenth Circuit appellate and trial court judges that said “nearly all of Judge Garza’s employees” in the District of New Mexico reported she engaged in hostile behavior.

Garza, who wasn’t reappointed to a new eight-year term, said the Tenth Circuit erred in making findings even though a special committee investigating complaints against her hadn’t completed its ...