Nine candidates have been recommended to Republican Gov. Susana Martinez for possible appointment to the 2nd Judicial District Court in Bernalillo County.
Among those endorsed Tuesday by the Judicial Nominating Commission were two district judges appointed by Martinez but who lost in the general election: Samuel Winder and Brett Loveless.
Others recommended for two district court vacancies were Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court Judges Judith Nakamura, Cristina Jaramillo and Sharon Walton, who ran unsuccessfully for the district court.
Another candidate is former prosecutor Jonathan Ibarra, who was named to the district court by the state Supreme Court last year but wasn't on the general election ballot.
The vacancies were caused by the death of District Judge Bob Schwartz and the election of District Judge Monica Zamora to the Court of Appeals.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.