Patricio M. Serna
Supreme Court Justice
Statewide
Year: 2008
Evaluation: Justice Patricio Serna received positive ratings from attorneys for conducting himself in a manner free from impropriety and for being sensitive to the impact of his demeanor and other nonverbal communications. Fellow appellate judges rated him highly for responding to inquiries and requests for assistance promptly, maintaining proper control over the proceedings, and for respecting all employees regardless of position. Court staff gave Justice Serna positive scores for conducting himself in a manner free from impropriety and for respecting all employees regardless of position. Official court statistics support a finding of timeliness in making rulings; however, some court staff gave him lower scores concerning his timeliness and his knowledge regarding substantive law and the rules of procedure and evidence. In addition, some of the court staff, as well as the general attorney population, rated Justice Serna somewhat lower when it comes to exercising sound legal reasoning. It should be pointed out that Justice Serna's scores in some areas do reflect improvement since his last evaluation.
Experience & Education: Justice Serna has been a member of the Supreme Court since December 5, 1996, and he served as Chief Justice in 2001 and 2002. He is currently Senior Justice on the Court. Justice Serna previously served as a District Court Judge for the First Judicial District in Santa Fe from 1985 until 1996, including a four-year term as Chief Judge. Justice Serna received the Excellence in Jurisprudence Award in 2006 from the University of New Mexico Law Review. He earned his degree in Business Administration from the College of St. Joseph on the Rio Grande. He received his law degree from the University of Denver School of Law and a Master of Laws degree from Harvard Law School.