New Mexico Supreme Court
| New Mexico Supreme Court | |||
 | |||
| Court information | |||
| Justices: | 5 | ||
| Location: | Santa Fe, New Mexico | ||
| Judicial selection | |||
| Method: | Partisan election of judges | ||
| Term: | 8 years | ||
| Active justices | |||
|
Edward Chavez • Charles Daniels • Petra Jimenez Maes • Richard Bosson • Barbara J. Vigil • | |||
| Former justices | |||
The New Mexico Supreme Court is the state's highest court and final court of review (court of last resort). The court is composed of five justices; four associate justices and one Chief Justice.
Justices
The current justices of the court are:| Judge | Term | Appointed by | Party |
|---|---|---|---|
| Justice Edward Chavez | 2003-2014 | Bill Richardson | Democratic |
| Justice Charles Daniels | 2007-2018 | Bill Richardson | Democratic |
| Chief Justice Petra Jimenez Maes | 1998-2018 | Gary E. Johnson | Democratic |
| Justice Richard Bosson | 2002-2020 | Democratic | |
| Justice Barbara J. Vigil | 2012-2020 | Democratic |
Jurisdiction
The court may hear direct appeals in cases of life sentences or writs of habeas corpus. Additionally, all cases from the Public Regulation Commission and election challenges. "In its discretion, the Court may issue writs of certiorari, mandamus, prohibition, and superintending control."
Judicial selection
Justices are selected by both gubernatorial commission process and partisan elections. The Commission recommends to the Governor several candidates, and upon appointment by the Governor, the judge runs in the subsequent partisan election. To retain office, the judge must run on a nonpartisan ballot and win at least 57% of the vote.[1]
Qualifications
To be a qualified candidate of the Supreme Court, the person must be no younger than 35, must have practiced law for at least 10 years, and must have been a resident of the state for at least three years.
Removal of justices
To remove a justice in New Mexico, the Supreme Court may remove the judge based on the recommendation of the judicial standards commission, or a judge may be impeached by the house and convicted by the senate of the state.
Caseloads
| Fiscal Year | Filings | Dispositions |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 597 | 580 |
| 2011 | 621 | 662 |
| 2010 | 671 | 749 |
| 2009 | 601 | 658 |
| 2008 | 701 | 767 |
| 2007 | 609 | 647 |
Salaries
The Chief Justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court earns $125,691 annually, while associate justices earn $123,691, as of January 2010..[3][4]
Notable decisions
History of the court
For a complete history of the New Mexico Supreme Court, click here.
Territorial laws
The Kearny Code of Laws of 1846 provided the territorial laws of New Mexico prior to statehood.[5]
Compiled Laws of New Mexico 1897
The Laws of 1897, Chapter XLIII, found that "There has been no legal compilation of the laws of the Territory of New Mexico since the year 1884 and the available supply of the Compiled Laws of that year and the Session Laws of 1887 and 1889 have been entirely destroyed by fire and those of other sessions of the Legislature have become practically exhausted in the hands of the Territorial Secretary and Librarian, so that to procure copies of the laws of years is attended with great expense and trouble."
Supreme Court building
The court meets in "the Supreme Court building" in Santa Fe. The construction for the building began in 1934 and was completed in 1937 at a total cost of $307,000. This building is the only building in the state that the Public Works Administration project created and is still being used for the intended purpose. The building is registered on the Historic Santa Fe Foundation Registry, the State of New Mexico register of historic buildings, and the National Register of Historic Places.[6]
Notable firsts
See also
- News: New Mexico Supreme Court rejects redistricting maps, February 14, 2012
External links
- New Mexico Supreme Court Official Site
- List of the state's Supreme Court justices since statehood
- KFOXTV "NM High Court Won't Suspend Las Cruces Judge" April 12, 2011
References
- ↑ New Mexico Courts Page
- ↑ New Mexico State Courts Annual Reports See: Statistical Addenda
- ↑ The Sunshine Review, "New Mexico state government salary," September 19, 2011
- ↑ The National Center for State Courts, "Judicial Salary Resource Center" as of Jan. 1, 2010
- ↑ New Mexico Compilation
- ↑ Information about the New Mexico Supreme Court building
2012
To organize the columns, click on the arrows in the column heading.| Candidate | Incumbency | Division | Primary Vote | Election Vote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Barbara J. Vigil  | No | 54.81% | ||
| Paul J. Kennedy | No | 45.19%  | ||
| Richard Bosson | Yes | 75.31% |
2010
- See also: 2010 State Supreme Court elections
Charles Daniels stood for retention and was retained.
| New Mexico Supreme Court 2010 General election results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
Charles Daniels 
|
n/a | n/a | ||
Petra Jimenez Maes stood for retention and was retained.
| New Mexico Supreme Court 2010 General election results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Petra Jimenez Maes
|
n/a | n/a | ||
2008
- See also: State Supreme Court elections, 2008
Patricio Serna stood for retention and was retained.
| New Mexico Supreme Court 2008 General election results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Patricio Serna
|
n/a | 75% | ||
Charles Daniels stood for retention and was retained.
| New Mexico Supreme Court 2008 General election results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Charles Daniels
|
n/a | n/a | ||
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Current |
Edward Chavez • Charles Daniels • Petra Jimenez Maes • Richard Bosson • Barbara J. Vigil • | ||
| Former | Patricio Serna • Paul J. Kennedy • | ||
| ||||||||
