Petra Maes
Supreme Court Justice
Statewide
Year: 2010
Evaluation: Justice Petra Maes received somewhat mixed ratings from the various groups surveyed. For example, attorneys and her fellow appellate court judges rated her positively for demonstrating appropriate demeanor and for conducting herself in a manner free from impropriety. In addition, the appellate judges also rated her highly for assisting in administrative duties and participating in court projects. However, attorneys and court staff rated her somewhat lower for her knowledge of the law and exercising sound legal reasoning. In addition, the court staff rated her poorly when it comes to working effectively and cooperatively with other court personnel, as well as effectively selecting, developing, and supervising law clerks and paralegals. After considering the survey results and her interview, the Commission concluded that Justice Maes is committed to improving her judicial performance.
Experience & Education: Justice Maes was elected to her current position in 1998. Prior to this, she served as District Judge in the First Judicial District for 17 years, where she served in Family Court and in both the Criminal and Civil Divisions. Justice Maes is a member of the American Bar Association, the National Hispanic Bar Association, the New Mexico Women's Bar Association, and the American Law Institute. She received both her undergraduate and law degrees from the University of New Mexico.
PERCENTAGE THAT AGREE OR DISAGREE THAT THE JUSTICE EXHIBITS POSITIVE QUALITIES IN EACH CATEGORY *
| Attorneys (n=307, 46% Response Rate) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Exhibits Integrity | 81% | 15% | 4% |
| Fair and Impartial | 67% | 25% | 8% |
| Knowledgeable of Law | 56% | 27% | 17% |
| Respects Court Employees | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Appropriate Demeanor | 84% | 12% | 4% |
| Timeliness of Rulings | 75% | 19% | 6% |
| Handles Ongoing Workload | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Court Staff (n=39, 37.9% Response Rate) | |||
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Exhibits Integrity | 68% | 19% | 14% |
| Fair and Impartial | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Knowledgeable of Law | 51% | 26% | 23% |
| Respects Court Employees | 44% | 25% | 31% |
| Appropriate Demeanor | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Timeliness of Rulings | 43% | 29% | 29% |
| Handles Ongoing Workload | 42% | 17% | 42% |
| Appellate Judges (n=13, 88% Response Rate) | |||
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Exhibits Integrity | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Fair and Impartial | 92% | 8% | 0% |
| Knowledgeable of Law | 97% | 3% | 0% |
| Respects Court Employees | 90% | 10% | 0% |
| Appropriate Demeanor | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Timeliness of Rulings | 71% | 29% | 0% |
| Handles Ongoing Workload | 83% | 17% | 0% |
* On the tables above, the "Agree" columns are comprised of the strongly agree and agree responses. Similarly, the "Disagree" columns are comprised of the strongly disagree and disagree responses. The combined percentage of "Agree", "Disagree", and "Partly Agree/Partly Disagree" for each category may not equal 100% due to rounding error. "N/A" indicates that the category is "not applicable" because some populations were not asked certain questions.
PERCENTAGE THAT RECOMMEND THE JUDGE BE RETAINED OR NOT BE RETAINED IN OFFICE. ‡
‡ On the charts above, the "Retain" columns are comprised of the strongly recommend retain and somewhat recommend retain responses. Similarly, the "Do Not Retain" columns are comprised of the strongly recommend not retain and somewhat recommend not retain responses.