Military service After law school, Gallegos joined the
United States Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps. After graduating from the
Naval Justice School with honors in 2005, he reported to
Naval Air Station Jacksonville as a military prosecutor. From 2014-2015, Gallegos mobilized to
Joint Task Force Guantanamo, where he served as liaison to the
International Committee of the Red Cross. He ran a statewide campaign to keep his seat on the court. He was the subject of an attack ad paid for by New Mexico trial lawyers, portraying him as a puppet of Governor Martinez. In response, Gallegos is quoted by
The Santa Fe New Mexican as saying, “It is a disappointing turn of events, given that judicial elections in New Mexico, while nominally partisan, are supposed to be different“ and that "[t]his overt and rancorous appeal to partisanship is antithetical to the concept of judicial independence and the rule of law.” In December 2018, Governor Martinez appointed Gallegos to the Second Judicial District Court in
Bernalillo County, New Mexico, where he presided over felony criminal cases. In November 2020, he lost a partisan countywide election to Democrat Courtney Weaks, 56.2% to 43.8%. His 43.8% was the best performance of any Republican in Bernalillo County in the
2020 New Mexico elections. == Family ==