Eleventh Judicial District Judge Louis E. DePauli Jr. is retiring on April 1 after serving 17 years on the bench in Gallup.
“My biggest overall accomplishment was keeping the court running in good order, doing my job efficiently and economically, and with purpose,” DePauli, a native of Gallup, said. “I tried to accomplish justice as best I could in my role as judge.”
He comes from a long line of judges. His father, Louis E. DePauli, Sr., was a district attorney in Gallup for many years before serving as a district judge in 1975-1988. Judge DePauli’s grandfather, Tulio DePauli, was a probate judge in Gallup.
“I love Gallup because my family has been here for four generations,” DePauli said. “Many of my friends are still here where their families go back multiple generations. It’s a small town where I can still wave to people I know when I pass them on the street. We’re varied and culturally different and at the same time, we really get along well. It’s a great melting pot of a town.”
DePauli received his undergraduate degree from New Mexico State University, and a Juris Doctor from the University of New Mexico School of Law in 1987. His first job as a lawyer was as an assistant district attorney. He opened a private law practice in 1990 with his father and a former judge, Robert Aragon. In 2006, he was appointed to the bench by Gov. Bill Richardson.
He has some advice for new judges.
“Control your court, lead by example, demand professionalism, and know the cases as well as the attorneys do,” he said.
Eleventh Judicial District Chief Judge Curtis R. Gurley thanked DePauli for his service in a press release published March 29.
“Eleventh Judicial Judge Louis DePauli leaves an indelible mark on the Gallup community, and the district,” Gurley said. “We are grateful for his service and wish him the best.”
DePauli says he “plans to explore the wilds of New Mexico and the Four Corners area, get his golf game into shape, and perhaps travel internationally a time or two.”
