Kiper set to retire after 19 years on bench

By ROB LARSON
Daily Press Staff Writer
Once Richard L. Martinez is sworn in Monday, Judge Kaye Kiper, after more than 19 years of service, will officially be retiring.
“In the beginning, I just wanted to be working at the court. The judicial system was always something I was interested in,” Kiper said. “But I never had any intention of being a judge. It just sort of happened that way.” … For the rest of the story, subscribe in print and on the web.
In November of 1993, Kiper was hired on as a clerk for the Artesia Municipal Court. The following year, she was appointed as the Alternate Judge. When her predecessor, Judge Edward Lee, retired in 1995, Kiper became the Municipal Judge. She was the first elected female judge in Artesia.