The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) recently named Judge John J. Romero, Jr. as its 2018-2019 president. The University of New Mexico School of Law graduate is the first president representing New Mexico in the 81 years that the organization has operated. He has been a member of NCJFCJ for 14 years, having served six of those on the board of directors and been on numerous committees. One of his most prominent roles at NCJFCJ has been as the lead judge for the National Judicial Institute on Domestic Child Sex Trafficking, through which he has educated hundreds of judicial officers around the country to better identify and improve outcomes for at-risk children and victims. Because of his experience and expertise in this area, Romero was appointed to the National Advisory Committee on the Sex Trafficking of Children and Youth in the U.S. in 2017. In this position, he advises the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on how to craft the national response to sex trafficking of children and youth using the powers of the Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act of 2014.
Additionally, Romero is co-chair emeritus of the Children’s Court Improvement Commission and a past member of the New Mexico Tribal-State Judicial Consortium. His work also gained him the distinction of being the first judge in the nation to be recognized as a certified Child Welfare Law Specialist by the National Association of Counsel for Children. “The Second Judicial District Court is honored to have Judge John Romero serve as the President of the NCJFCJ,” said Chief Judge Nan Nash, Second Judicial District Court, New Mexico for a press release. “Judge Romero’s lifelong work, dedication and compassion have helped improve the lives of countless children and families in New Mexico. He will bring that same enthusiastic leadership to the NCJFCJ.” Judge John J. Romero, Jr. was sworn in as the 2018-2019 president of NCJFCJ during its 81st annual conference in late July in Denver, Colorado.
