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Justices of the Supreme Court of New Mexico are elected by all voters throughout the state. The Supreme Court is New Mexico’s highest court and the court of last resort for state appellate actions. In addition, the Supreme Court is charged with significant administrative functions, and possesses superintending control over all inferior state courts. The Supreme court also regulates attorneys and judges.
The Supreme Court consists of 5 justices who serve 8-year terms. To be eligible to hold the office of Justice of the Supreme Court, a person must:
- be 35 years old
- have practiced law for at least 10 years
- have resided in New Mexico for the last 3 years
When evaluating Supreme Court justices standing for retention, the Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission sends confidential written surveys to:
- former law clerks
- lawyers who have had direct interaction with appellate judges, including attorneys of record over which the appellate judge presided; general counsel from CYFD, Taxation and Revenue, and the Department of Transportation; and the Board of Directors of Appellate Practice.
- court staff attorneys
- current law clerks
- court staff
- trial court judges whose cases have been appealed
- fellow appellate judges
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