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The Eleventh Judicial District Court Judicial Nominating Commission reconvened at 10 a.m. (MT) on Monday, April 22, 2024 at the Eleventh Judicial District Court, located at the McKinley County Gallup District Court, 207 W Hill Ave, Gallup, N.M. to interview one additional applicant for the position in the Eleventh Judicial District Court Gallup, due to retirement of the Honorable Judge Louis E. DePauli, Jr. effective April 1, 2024.
The Commission recommends the following additional candidate to Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham:
Brad Keeler
The Eleventh Judicial District Court Judicial Nominating Commission reconvened at 10 a.m. (MT) on Monday, April 22, 2024 at the Eleventh Judicial District Court, located at the McKinley County Gallup District Court, 207 W Hill Ave, Gallup, N.M. to interview one additional applicant for the position in the Eleventh Judicial District Court Aztec, due to the retirement of the Honorable Judge Karen L. Townsend, effective March 31, 2024.
Article VI, Section 35 of the New Mexico Constitution provides that the Commission shall submit additional na mes to the Governor “if a majority of the commission finds that additional persons would be qualified and recommends those persons for appointment to the judicial office.” The majority of the Commission did not recommend any additional applicants for appointment to fill the vacancy due to the retirement of the Honorable Judge Karen L.Townsend, effective March 31, 2024.
New Mexico Courts launched a new website to provide the public with an improved user experience and a fresh, new look. The website is nmcourts.gov.
“We really focused on understanding the needs of the public,” said Cassandra Hayne, Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) Chief Technology Officer. “The new website is more intuitive and makes finding information easier. People often go to our website for specific reasons, and now they should find what they need faster.”
Included on the main homepage are navigation tiles –blocks with images and links – that readily offer options most people are looking for, such as information about serving on a jury, self-representation, or paying fines. The tiles and the top menu bar have a standard look and feel with court-specific information. For example, all court webpages have a tile linking people to a schedule of court dockets. The Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court webpage includes access to virtual hearings, while the Eleventh Judicial District also includes a tile with information about Justice Stations in the Farmington, Gallup and Aztec area that allow people to appear remotely in a court hearing.
New features on the website include:
“One of the best improvements to the website is a more mobile-friendly interface,” said AOC Director Artie Pepin. “Most people are using smartphones to come to our website so it’s important to have a product that delivers a better viewing experience on their phone.”
The website, designed by Astriata, also has a new color palette and pictures of courthouses and New Mexico landscapes throughout. A website banner photo contest was held judiciary-wide last summer to find the captivating photo for the main homepage. Out of 81 entries, the Supreme Court voted on the top five and Monica Rodriguez from the Second Judicial District Court had the winning photo of Abiquiu Lake.
“This photo was taken in July of 2022 when the world was collectively rebounding from the pandemic,” said grand prize winner Monica Rodriguez. “It amazed me that nature did not seem to notice the human impact of a tiny virus on humanity. The sunshine and the reflections of the sky on water are eternal.”
Please visit nmcourts.gov to find schedules of hearings in courts across the state, to request an interpreter, and access self-representation resources.
View the full press release here.
The Supreme Court issued Order No. S-1-AO-2024-00016, which allows parties and attorneys to identify their personal pronouns and designated salutations in court pleadings. The order also requires courts to use the party's or attorney's name, personal pronouns, or designated salutation when
The Second Judicial District Court will provide text notifications to attorneys to share information related to inclement weather delays and temporary closures. Sign up to receive texts by sending a text from your mobile device to: 77295 and entering the word attorney2nd. Information provided will strictly be on behalf of the Second Judicial District Court and is not intended to relay information for any other courts.
Effective April 1, a mass reassignment of all active cases previously assigned to Judge Sylvia LaMar and Division IV will occur pursuant to NMSC Rule 23-109, the Chief Judge Rule. The Honorable Denise Thomas has been appointed to Division IV of the First Judicial District and will maintain a Family Court Docket. Parties who have not previously exercised their right to challenge or excuse will have ten (10) days from April 24 to challenge or excuse Judge Denise Thomas pursuant to Rule 1-088.1.
The Eleventh Judicial District Judicial Nominating Commission met on March 21, 2024 and submitted one name to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham for consideration to fill the vacancy in the Eleventh Judicial District Court - Gallup due to the retirement of the Honorable Judge Louis E. DePauli, Jr., effective April 1.
Pursuant to her authority to do so, Gov. Lujan Grisham has requested that the commission submit additional names to her for consideration. Accordingly, Dean Camille Carey of the UNM School of Law, designated by the New Mexico Constitution to Chair the Eleventh Judicial District Nominating Commission, is soliciting additional applications for this position from lawyers who meet the constitutional qualifications.
Applications, as well as information related to qualifications for the position, may be obtained from the Judicial Selection website. The deadline for applications has been set for April 9 at 5 p.m. (MT) Applications received after that date will not be considered.
Applications received by the initial deadline of March 7 remain viable and open for consideration by the commission. Applicants who appeared before the commission on March 21, including the one applicant whose name was submitted to Gov. Lujan Grisham, do not need to reapply or reappear before the commission.
Applicants seeking information regarding election or retention if appointed should contact the Bureau of Elections in the Office of the Secretary of State.
The date and time of the reconvening of the Eleventh Judicial District Judicial Nominating Commission – Gallup will be April 22 beginning at 10 a.m. (MT), at the McKinley County-Gallup District Court, located 207 W Hill Ave, Gallup, NM, any additional interviews will be conducted then. The Commission meeting is open to the public, and members of the public who wish to be heard about any of the candidates will have an opportunity to speak at that time.
The Eleventh Judicial District Court Judicial Nominating Commission convened at 10 a.m. (MT) on March 21 at the at the Eleventh Judicial District Court, located at the McKinley County-Gallup District Court, 207 W Hill Ave, Gallup, NM to interview applicants for the two position in the Eleventh Judicial District Court, due to the retirement of the Hon. Louis E. DePauli, Jr., effective April 1, in Gallup, New Mexico and the retirement of the Hon. Karen L. Townsend, effective March 31, in Aztec, New Mexico. One vacancy is at the McKinley County-Gallup District Court in Gallup, New Mexico. The other vacancy is at the San Juan County-Aztec/Farmington District Court in Aztec, New Mexico.
The Commission recommends the following candidates to Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham:
Gallup, NM Vacancy
Ramsey Mumtaz Younis
Aztec, NM Vacancy
Brian Douglas Decker
Stephen Michael Wayne
Pursuant to Rule 1-088.1, NMRA, the Second Judicial District Clerk of Court hereby serves notice that a mass reassignment of all Children’s Court cases assigned to the Honorable Marie C. Ward and Division XIX in the Children’s Court, will be automatically reassigned to the Honorable Diana Garcia Division XIX, effective April 1, 2024. Any party may file a peremptory excusal within ten (10) days upon completion of this publication which is on or before April 10, 2024.
The Tenth Judicial District Court Judicial Nominating Commission convened at 10:30 a.m. (MT) on Feb. 28 at the Tenth Judicial District Court located at 300 S. 3rd Street, Tucumcari, NM 88401, and completed its evaluation of the three applicants to fill the vacancy on the Tenth Judicial District Court due to the retirement of the Honorable Judge Albert J. Mitchell, Jr., effective Feb. 2.
The Judicial Nominating Commission recommends the following applicants to Governor Michell Lujan Grisham:
Nancy English
Timothy L. Rose
For more information, contact Beverly Akin at akin@law.unm.edu.
In accordance with Rule 23-106.1 NMRA, the Supreme Court has approved the following out-of-cycle rule amendments. What follows is a summary of those amendments that the Court approved on February 23, 2024, and February 27, 2024. The full text of the amendments in markup format and the related orders are available on the Court’s website here. The approved rule amendments will also be available on NMOneSource.com.
References Pertaining to Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities – Amended Rules 5-602.2 and 5-602.3 NMRA
The Supreme Court approved the Rules of Criminal Procedure for State Courts Committee’s recommendation to amend Rules 5-602.2 and 5-602.3 NMRA to replace terminology pertaining to intellectual and developmental disabilities to reflect recent statutory amendments. The amendments are effective February 23, 2024.
Automatic Sanctions for Technical Violations by Probationers in the Eleventh Judicial District Court - Withdrawn LR11-302 NMRA
On recommendation of the Eleventh Judicial District Court, the Supreme Court has withdrawn LR11-302 NMRA, which sets forth the District’s technical violation program for probationers. The amendments are effective February 23, 2024.
Scribing for Self-Represented Litigants – Amended Rule 23-113 NMRA
The Supreme Court approved the New Mexico Commission on Access to Justice’s recommendation to amend Rule 23-113 NMRA to facilitate the Supreme Court’s Statewide Scribing Program implemented by Supreme Court Order No. S-1-AO-2024-00009. The amendments are effective June 1, 2024.
THE RULE AMENDMENTS SUMMARIZED ABOVE CAN BE VIEWED IN THEIR ENTIRETY AT THE NEW MEXICO SUPREME COURT WEBSITE
https://supremecourt.nmcourts.gov/supreme-court/opinions-rules-and-forms/approved-amendments-to-rules-and-forms/2024-2/
The courtroom, whether a physical in-person courtroom, or a virtual courtroom, remains a formal and serious setting where judges hear matters involving real people that affect real lives. Every case is important, and all participants should maintain court decorum in the virtual world, just as they would in person. The New Mexico Supreme Court asks all individuals participating in Remote Court proceedings, as well as all meetings called by a member of the New Mexico Judiciary, to continue to observe the following well-established rules of court standards and decorum.
Please view the full procedure for remote proceedings and meeting standards by clicking the button below.
View Full Remote Proceedings and Meeting Standards Document
At its September 2022 session, the Judicial Conference approved a significant increase to the maximum per page original and copy transcript fee rates, effective October 1, 2023 (see attached chart). The increase of roughly 10 percent in each of the fiscal years 2024
and 2025, or roughly 20 percent overall, is aimed at keeping pace with inflation and helping courts recruit and retain qualified court reporters. The Guide to Judiciary Policy, Volume 6 (Guide), and transcript fee schedule on uscourts.gov will be updated to reflect these changes.
The District of New Mexico has adopted the proposed schedule of per page transcript fees, subject to the maximum rates established by the Judicial Conference. Transcripts ordered prior to the court’s adoption of a new fee schedule should be billed at the rates in effect at the time the order was placed with the court reporter.
New Original and Copy Transcript Fee Rates (Effective Fiscal Years 2024 and 2025)
Original Transcript Rates
Copy Rates
Expedited Transcript (7-Day)