Alamogordo Municipal Judge Steven Lee retires after decades on the bench

On Dec. 30, Alamogordo Municipal Judge Steven O. Lee retired from the bench.

Lee worked with the City of Alamogordo for 40 years including time with the Alamogordo Department of Public Safety and, most recently, as Alamogordo municipal judge.

"It has been my honor and privilege to represent the citizens of Alamogordo for 20 years," Lee said in a City of Alamogordo news release. "As judge, I felt that it was my responsibility to be the guardian of the judicial system, as such it was my duty to ensure everyone was treated equally no matter who they were.”

Lee is an Alamogordo local who graduated from Alamogordo High School in 1967. He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps that year serving in the Vietnam War.

Lee was wounded in Vietnam and received a Purple Heart.

When he was discharged from the Marines, Lee went to New Mexico State University where he got his associate degree in criminal justice. He also studied law at the Taft University School of Law, per a news release. 

More:Alamogordo bids farewell to Boss and Sikes, welcomes Paul

Lee started working as a patrolman with the Alamogordo Department of Public Safety where he retired in 1998 after graduating from the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia, the news release states.

“It’s been my pleasure to work with Judge Lee during my 28 years with the City and I wish him a happy and restful retirement. He will be greatly missed,” Alamogordo City Manager Brian Cesar said in the news release.

Want to see more local news coverage? Why not subscribe? Click here to subscribe.

Lee was elected Alamogordo Municipal Judge in 2002 and retired as of December 31, 2012 after 20 years in the judgeship. 

"Lee is past president of the Municipal Judges Association and was appointed by the Supreme Court to serve on the Judicial Education and Training Advisory Committee as well as numerous other committees throughout his career," the news release states. 

"Judge Lee was also appointed by the Supreme Court to serve on the Judicial Standards Commission and served for eight years. He was the first municipal judge to be appointed to the commission in its history."

Nicole Maxwell can be contacted by email at nmaxwell@alamogordonews.com, by phone at 575-415-6605 or on Twitter at @nicmaxreporter.