Judge Parnall is running unopposed for his seat in District Court; Children’s Court Division here in Albuquerque but he sincerely would like to give voters an opportunity to get to know him better so they can see how much he wants to serve our children here in Albuquerque and the Bernalillo County Second District Court System with fair and equal justice. Judge Parnall has found it very rewarding to see children from difficult situations finding a happy and joyful home with new adoptive parents. Bernalillo County Residents should do all they can to support our local court system. Unlike the Metropolitan Court our District Court is funded by our counties. We need more quality judges like Judge Parnall so that our children can be protected and directed in a firm but gentle way to make the right choices in life. I find Judge Parnall to be a sincere and polite individual who is very easy to get to know, to like and to respect.
William E. Parnall, District Court Judge• Appointed by Governor Bill Richardson
• Chosen by a bipartisan committee
• Graduated from UNM and UNM Law School
• Current Children's Court Judge
• New Mexico Hispanic Bar Association
• Dedicated to helping Children and Families
• Counsel in more than 2000 Children's Court cases
• Commission for Professionalism, New Mexico State Bar
• South Valley native, fluent in Spanish
• Attuned to our cultural diversity
About the Judge:
Judge Parnall is presently serving our community as Second Judicial District Court Judge in the Children's Court Division. After being chosen by a bipartisan committee, he was appointed by Governor Bill Richardson in September of 2007. He is a lifelong resident of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Judge Parnall was born and raised in Albuquerque's south valley and attended Atrisco Elementary School and John Adams Junior High. Judge Parnall graduated from UNM and UNM Law School. He speaks Spanish fluently, and is attuned to the cultural diversity of our state. He has a varied background having taught guitar with Hector Garcia and performed songs in both English and Spanish professionally. His love for music and songwriting has continued throughout his life and has provided him with a unique perspective as a lawyer.
Following graduation from UNM School of Law in 1979, Judge Parnall worked in the civil firm of Kool, Kool, Bloomfield and Eaves, then began a 27 year career in criminal law at the City Defender's Office, and later at the New Mexico Public Defender's office in 1980. He worked for a year in the Felony Division then for four more years in the Juvenile Division where he represented children in more than 2000 cases. He opened his private practice in March of 1987 and handled the high profile Children's Court homicide cases of Jason Kirkman and Michael Yoshimoto. That year he became a member of the Federal Court Bar for the District of New Mexico and the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, eventually handling multi-defendant cases, and was appointed liaison counsel in the Sureno and Hayworth Death Penalty cases. He was appointed by the District Court as Guardian ad Litem in many Domestic Relations cases representing the interests of children. His legal career has been varied but he has remained dedicated to the well being of children.
