Carlos Murguia was born on September 21, 1957, in Kansas City, Kansas, into a family of seven children whose parents emigrated from Mexico in 1950. He grew up in the Kansas City community of Argentine and went on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in journalism from the University of Kansas in 1979, followed by a Juris Doctor from the University of Kansas School of Law in 1982.

He began his legal career in private practice in Kansas City from 1982 until 1987. He served as a part-time hearing officer and small claims judge in Wyandotte County's District Court from 1984 to 1990 and coordinated the Immigration Amnesty Program at El Centro, Inc. during much of that time.

In 1990, he was appointed as a full-time district court judge in Division 8 of the Wyandotte County District Court, a position he held until 1999. On March 24, 1999, he was nominated by President Bill Clinton to serve as a judge on the United States District Court for the District of Kansas, filling the seat vacated by Sam A. Crow.

The Senate confirmed Murguia on September 8, 1999, and he received his commission on September 22, 1999. He was notably the first Latino to serve as a federal judge in Kansas.

His judicial tenure included issuing significant rulings such as a 2011 temporary restraining order preventing enforcement of new Kansas abortion clinic regulations due to insufficient compliance time for clinics.

However, his career was marred by controversy when, in September 2019, the Judicial Council of the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals publicly reprimanded him for judicial misconduct. The council found that Murguia sexually harassed courthouse employees, engaged in an extramarital relationship with a person on probation for felony convictions, and was habitually late for court proceedings.

Acknowledging these transgressions, he resigned from the federal bench effective April 1, 2020. His resignation letter expressed regret and noted his inability to effectively serve the court.

Following his resignation, Carlos Murguia became ineligible for retirement or pension benefits. His resignation ended over two decades of judicial service, during which he was known both for his pioneering role as a Latino federal judge and for his eventual misconduct findings.