Justice Chávez graduated from Eastern New Mexico University in 1978 with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree.
He was appointed to the Supreme Court by Governor Bill Richardson and has served since March 10, 2003. He earned his Juris Doctor in 1981 from the University of New Mexico School of Law. Chavez has served as President of the Legal Aid Society of Albuquerque, Chairman of the UNM Mental Health Center and Chairman of the Supreme Court Disciplinary Board.
He has also taught at the National Institute for Trial Advocacy, and UNM School of Law as an Adjunct Instructor.
Justice Chávez is listed in Best Lawyers in America, and he is a Fellow in both the American College of Trial Lawyers and the International Academy of Trial Lawyers. On 19 December 2013 he wrote a unanimous opinion in Griego v.
Oliver case (regarding same-sex marriages in New Mexico).
In addition, he was a member of numerous civic and professional organizations.