Fernando R. Macias
District Court Judge
3rd Judicial District
Doña Ana County
Year: 2014
Evaluation: Judge Fernando Macias received mostly positive ratings from court staff and resource staff (e.g., law enforcement, probation and parole officers, interpreters, etc.), and somewhat mixed ratings from attorneys. For example, attorneys rated Judge Macias positively for being attentive to the proceedings, punctuality in commencing proceedings, and for ensuring his personal staff is professional, productive, and knowledgeable. However, attorneys rated Judge Macias somewhat lower for not being thoroughly knowledgeable of the law, for not always exercising sound legal reasoning, and for not always conducting himself in a manner free from arrogance. The court staff scored Judge Macias highly on all attributes, and the resource staff gave him generally positive scores.
Experience & Education: Judge Macias was appointed District Judge in 2006. Prior to his appointment, Judge Macias served as an assistant district attorney, district public defender and in private practice. In addition, he served as Chairman of the Doña Ana County Commission and as a New Mexico State Senator. Judge Macias is currently the Chief Judge of the Third Judicial District, where he hears primarily criminal cases. Judge Macias received his undergraduate degree from New Mexico State University and his law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center in 1978.
PERCENTAGE THAT AGREE OR DISAGREE THAT THE JUDGE EXHIBITS POSITIVE QUALITIES IN EACH CATEGORY *
| Attorneys (n=84, 64% Response Rate) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Exhibits Integrity | 73% | 13% | 14% |
| Fair and Impartial | 65% | 17% | 18% |
| Knowledgeable of Law | 51% | 25% | 24% |
| Communication is Clear | 62% | 21% | 17% |
| Appropriate Demeanor | 63% | 14% | 23% |
| Properly Controls Proceedings | 78% | 13% | 8% |
| Court Staff (n=63, 75% Response Rate) | |||
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Communication is Clear | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Properly Controls Proceedings | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Respects Court Employees | 90% | 10% | 0% |
| Jurors (n=71, 32% Response Rate) | |||
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Exhibits Integrity | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Fair and Impartial | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Knowledgeable of Law | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Communication is Clear | 99% | 1% | 0% |
| Appropriate Demeanor | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Respects Court Employees | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Fair and Impartial | 65% | 19% | 16% |
| Communication is Clear | 73% | 15% | 12% |
| Appropriate Demeanor | 78% | 12% | 10% |
| Properly Controls Proceedings | 90% | 3% | 7% |
| Respects Court Employees | N/A | N/A | N/A |
* 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.