New Mexico Supreme Court Decisions

The New Mexico Supreme Court meets in the Supreme Court Building in Santa Fe, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. It holds direct jurisdiction over appeals of convictions involving sentences of life imprisonment, and it may hear direct appeals regarding writs of habeas corpus. The Court also reviews appeals of cases involving challenges to elections and appeals of decisions by the Public Regulation Commission. In addition, the Court has the discretion to issue certain types of writs, such as writs of mandamus, prohibition, and certiorari.

Five justices comprise the New Mexico Supreme Court, including a Chief Justice. To serve on the Supreme Court, a candidate must be at least 35 years old and must have been a resident of New Mexico for at least three years. A candidate also must have practiced law for at least 10 years. New Mexico uses a combination of gubernatorial selection and partisan elections in selecting justices for the Supreme Court. When a vacancy arises, a commission will compile a list of candidates for the Governor of New Mexico to review. The Governor will appoint one of the candidates, but then the justice must run in the next partisan election to retain their seat. While the election is partisan, the ballot on which the justice appears is non-partisan, so their party affiliation is not revealed. They must receive at least 57 percent of the vote to retain their seat.

Each justice serves a term of eight years. A justice may face removal before the end of their term if they are impeached by the New Mexico House of Representatives and then convicted by the New Mexico Senate. Alternatively, the New Mexico Supreme Court may remove a justice if the judicial standards commission recommends their removal.