Jacqueline D. Flores earned her law degree from the University of New Mexico Law School, and was admitted to the New Mexico State Bar in 1996. During her career, she represented hundreds of clients charged with misdemeanor and felony offenses all over the state with an emphasis on DWI defense, administrative hearings, revocation hearings, forfeiture hearings and restraining order hearings.

In 2009 Ms. Flores was appointed to serve as a State District Judge in the Second Judicial District Court and was assigned to the Criminal Division. She presided over 120 jury trials involving the full range of felony criminal charges: DWI’s, domestic violence crimes, gang crimes, property crimes, child sex abuse, rape and murder. At least ten of these cases were particularly complex, high profile and media intensive. All high-profile cases were taken to jury verdict and all challenged rulings were affirmed on appeal.

After leaving the bench in 2020, Ms. Flores was appointed to serve as a State Commissioner for the Law Office of the Public Defender because of her fierce commitment to supporting high quality indigent criminal defense.

Ms. Flores engages in Cannabis Law because it encourages economic and social diversity in employment and business ownership and begins to rectify the harm that the war on drugs has inflicted on marginalized communities.