The Honorable
Tommy Jewell, ret. (1983-2005)
District Court
Retired Judge Tommy Jewell was born on June 30, 1954, to Bobbie and Tommie Jewell, Jr. He graduated from Manzano High School in 1972. He earned his B.A. degree in government from NMSU in 1976 and his J.D. degree in 1979, from the University of New Mexico.
Jewell was first hired by the Legal Aid Society of Albuquerque in 1979, where he worked as a staff attorney. Following his marriage to fellow lawyer, Angela Jewell, in 1981, they opened their own law firm: Jewell, Jewell, Kelly & Kittson, in 1982. Jewell left the firm when he was selected a Judge of the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court in 1983, making him the first African American Judge in New Mexico. In 1991, he was appointed to the 2nd Judicial District bench, where he served in Children’s Court until his retirement in 2005. President Bill Clinton selected Jewell to serve on the State Justice Institute Board of Directors in 1995. He served on the nonprofit board until 2010. After Jewell’s retired from his judgeship in 2005, he reopened Jewell Law Office, a general practice firm. In 2012, he served a six-month interim term as the City of Albuquerque’s independent review officer while the city’s police department was under investigation by the Department of Justice, and the search for a permanent review officer was in progress. He later chaired the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office Advisory and Review Board (SOARB) until 2025.
Jewell is a member of the Nu Rho chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity. He is also a fifth-degree black belt in Isshin Ryu Karate. He has received numerous awards for his work as a state court judge, including recognition for Outstanding Judicial Service by the State Bar of New Mexico, in 1997, and the Outstanding Judge award by the Albuquerque Bar Association in 2001. In 2005, he also received the Distinguished Achievement Award from the University of New Mexico School of Law; and, in 2019, Jewell and his wife both earned an Asante Award, presented by the New Mexico Black Lawyers Association, of which he is a founder.
Jewell resides with his wife in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and they have two adult children, Thomas and Taja, and three grandchildren ( Ian, Skyler, and Emery).
