Discovery with Anna N. Martinez

My nickname is … Banana (per all of my older sisters).

If you were in my office, you’d … be very warm sitting next to my not-so-legal space heater.

My colleagues would be surprised to know that … I studied Arabic in college. 

The lawyer I most admire is … George G. Ross, 1879-1964. He was an advocate for integration and civil rights in Colorado in the early 1900s.

When I started, I wish I knew … more women trial lawyers.

If I weren’t a lawyer, I’d be … an auctioneer at Sotheby’s or Christie’s. 

When I win a case, I celebrate by … playing pinball and eating burgers at the Cherry Cricket with my husband and my son.

The SCOTUS decision I’d overturn is … Shelby County v. Holder, which overturned two provisions of the Voting Rights Act. A fair election process, and access to the voting booth, is essential to a representative democracy.  

My favorite Twitter feed is … @podsaveamerica

I can’t believe more people haven’t read … Cien Anos de Soledad (100 Years of Solitude). 

My fictional hero is … Velma from Scooby Doo—she was smart and always right.

My real-life hero is … Frida Kahlo. 

On weekends I … cook blueberry pancakes with my son. The recipe is from an old Mennonite cookbook my Aunt Lilly gave me before she passed, which I slightly modified: 1/3 cup melted butter; 1 tsp vanilla; 2 eggs; 1 tbsp sugar; 1 cup whole milk. Stir wet ingredients with a fork until just incorporated. Sift 1¼ cup flour and 1 tbsp of baking powder into wet ingredients, and then mix with a fork (batter should be slightly lumpy). Cook on hot griddle, and add blueberries after you pour each pancake.

My most bizarre talent is … free-hand drawing candid portraits of lawyers. 

My motto is … “Un dia a la vez”—one day at a time.   

The movie line I quote most often is … “Nothing is #%$&ed, Dude,” from The Big Lebowski.

I wish I had invented … Sriracha.  

If I had a time machine, I would … go back to spend more time with my sister, who passed away from cancer while I was in college.

My favorite word is … a phrase: “Plaintiff’s verdict.”   

My least-favorite word is … also a phrase: “Defense verdict.” 

The most annoying thing about my job is … hearsay! But I do love its many, many exceptions.   

My courtroom walk-up song would be … “Rabiosa” by Shakira.