Republican Tim Bullock is running for Magistrate Judge and stopped by the Los Alamos Daily Post recently to answer questions about the local election. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com
Staff Report
Republican Tim Bullock is running for Los Alamos County Magistrate Court Judge. He stopped by the Los Alamos Daily Post recently to answer questions about the local election.
This is part of a series of Q&As with political candidates that the Post will publish ahead of the Nov. 8 General Election.
POST: How long have you lived in Los Alamos?
BULLOCK: 4 years 11 months,
POST: Where do you work?
BULLOCK: Bullock Law L.L.C.
POST: Why are you running for Magistrate Judge?
BULLOCK: To give back to the community.
POST: What do you believe is the most important role that the Magistrate Judge plays in Los Alamos County?
BULLOCK: A magistrate judge should call ‘balls and strikes’. The job is to serve as an impartial arbiter applying the law to the facts without legislating from the bench.
POST: What skills and experience do you have that you believe would be beneficial to the position?
BULLOCK: I hold a post-graduate degree from the London School of Economics. Before practicing law, I worked as an aide in the British Parliament serving three Members, one of whom was a barrister. I worked as a merchant banker in New York and London and taught micro and macro economics as an adjunct professor. I am published by the Council of Europe.
My undergraduate education and law degree are from the University of Denver. While in law school, I directed the student law office and was director of both the ‘Magistrates Trial Cup’ appellate competition and the ‘Hoffman Trial Cup’ competition – the school’s two major law competitions. In later years, I participated in judging these events. My third year in law school I ran for, and was elected to, city council in a city about the size of Los Alamos. Several years later, I earned certification in ‘Intellectual Property’ law from the Pierce Franklin School of Law.
I’ve practiced for several decades and am currently licensed in three states. I have served both as a prosecutor and as a defense attorney. I actively practice in New Mexico and Colorado mostly in Federal Court. I have represented multiple cases before the Colorado Supreme Court and Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals where I’ve given oral argument. I’m admitted to practice before the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals and have practiced law at every level of the justice system except the U.S. Supreme Court.
Electing a magistrate judge who has practiced law in New Mexico should matter to the community and to those who may be subject to jurisdiction of the magistrate court. Magistrate judges operate under the direction and control of the New Mexico Supreme Court. Actual experience is relevant. Practicing in this state has provided me with unique exposure to the nuances of New Mexico law available only by members of the New Mexico bar. I am the only New Mexico licensed practicing attorney candidate in this race.
I believe I could improve procedure, communication and transparency of this office by:
- Involving parents in any process which impacts their children;
- publishing dockets on-line;
- providing public notice of hearings;
- holding brown bag lunches for attorneys and other professionals to provide an informal opportunity raise general issues;
- moving cases expeditiously through the process;
- updating records in a timely fashion;
- working to improve relations between professionals who work within the justice system.
- working toward a paperless system.
POST: What previous community involvement have you had in Los Alamos and outside of the community?
BULLOCK: I graduated high school overseas as a Rotary foreign exchange student. This year, I am President-Elect of the Los Alamos Rotary Club. I have been a Boy Scout leader for 10+ years and serve as Eagle Advisor for Troop 22 in Los Alamos. My wife and I have been married for 38 years and are blessed by two internationally adopted sons. Our oldest is in his fourth year at a service academy. Our youngest son attended Los Alamos High School and is currently studying engineering at university. Both of my sons are Eagle Scouts. Our family currently hosts an exchange student. While in law school, I ran for, and was elected to city council in a city about the size of Los Alamos.
