About Judge Jennifer E. DeLaney

Judge DeLaney will be helping to coach the Lordsburg High School Mock Trial team again this year.  She has had the pleasure of working with the Lordsburg students for three years along with the Mock Trial Teacher Coach, Jason Hawley.  Together, it is our goal to not only teach the students about the inner workings of the judicial system, but to give them an experience unlike any other experiences they have during their high school careers and exposure to different career options.  We have been fortunate to use the Hidalgo County District Court for practice to help better prepare the students for competition which takes place in the Metropolitan and District Court in Albuquerque. 

Prior to taking the bench, Judge DeLaney  served the Sixth Judicial District Court as a Hearing Officer  presiding over hundreds of cases on a yearly basis and making decisions for the litigants based on the facts entered into evidence and the applicable law.  Her experience as a hearing officer gave her the necessary skills required to work successfully as a District Judge.   

Judge DeLaney, Esq. moved to Luna County in 2002 and has been actively involved in the community since her arrival.  She graduated from the Northwestern School of Law of Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon with honors in May of 2002 receiving her Juris Doctor.  Judge DeLaney was admitted to the Florida State Bar in October 2002, the New Mexico State Bar in May 2003, and the Federal District Court in October 2004.  

Judge DeLaney opened up her law practice DeLaney & Hernandez, L.L.C. in October 2002 in Deming, New Mexico with her sister, Amy C. DeLaney-Hernandez, Esq., graduate of UNM School of Law, 1999.  DeLaney & Hernandez, L.L.C. prided itself on providing high quality representation to all persons, working with The Healing House and El Refugio, Inc. to help victims of domestic violence, and working with New Mexico Legal Aid, Inc. to represent low income persons who otherwise could not afford legal representation.  Additionally, the firm provided pro bono legal services to the community at large.  

Community Involvement and Non-Legal Professional Experience

Judge DeLaney currently also serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Southwestern Regional Housing and Community Development Corporation.  From July 2007 to June 2009, she served as the Vice-Chair of the Board, and then became Chair of the Board in July 2009 to June 2014. Southwestern Regional Housing provides direct services to New Mexico residents to ensure safe, affordable and sustainable housing. Those services include rehabilitation and weatherization, credit counseling and financial education programs, IDA savings and investment accounts, building single family and multifamily homes, providing resource development to sustain and support housing, and advocating for quality of life for all New Mexicans.

Additionally from January 2005 to December 2008, Judge DeLaney taught Biology 101 and 102 for Western New Mexico University in person in Deming, New Mexico, as well as, on-line.  She was responsible for instruction of up to fifty students per semester and facilitated hands on laboratory experience.  Judge DeLaney earned her B. S. in Marine Biology from Eckerd College in Saint Petersburg, Florida in 1997, and wanted to put her undergraduate education to use in her community.  She has a strong belief in the power of education.  

Throughout the years, Judge DeLaney has been involved in a variety of community activities including Mock Trial Attorney Coach, Lordsburg, 2011-2012, 2013-2014, and 2014-2015, Gear-Up College Preparation Summer Program Volunteer, 2010, Foster Parent, Children, Youth and Families Department, 2008 to 2010, Gear-Up College Preparation Summer Program Biology Professor, 2009, Mock Trial Attorney Coach, Deming, 2007, and Assistant Girl Scout Troop Leader, 2002 – 2006.