James "Jim" M. Hudson
District Court Judge
5th Judicial District
Chaves, Eddy, and Lea Counties
Year: 2024
Evaluation: Judge James Hudson’s survey results were quite positive. Attorneys rated him highly for being knowledgeable regarding substantive law and the rules of procedure and evidence, being attentive to the proceedings, maintaining proper control over the proceedings, being able to decisively rule on procedural and substantive matters, and for ensuring his personal staff was professional, productive, and knowledgeable of court policies and procedures. Court staff, resource staff (e.g., law enforcement, probation/parole, CASA volunteers, CYFD, interpreters, etc.), and jurors rated him highly on all attributes. Judge Hudson indicated he will continue to work to improve his abilities as a judge and his efforts to represent the judiciary positively in his community.
Experience & Education: Judge James Hudson was appointed to the district court bench in 2013 and elected in 2014. Prior to his judicial appointment, he worked in civil litigation for a private law firm. Judge Hudson received his B.A. in Economics from the University of Notre Dame in 1980 and his law degree from the University of New Mexico School of Law in 1984.
PERCENTAGE THAT AGREE OR DISAGREE THAT THE JUDGE EXHIBITS POSITIVE QUALITIES IN EACH CATEGORY *
| Attorneys (n=39, 30% Response Rate) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Exhibits Integrity | 84% | 8% | 8% |
| Fair and Impartial | 70% | 18% | 12% |
| Knowledgeable of Law | 88% | 8% | 4% |
| Communication is Clear | 83% | 11% | 7% |
| Appropriate Demeanor | 69% | 16% | 15% |
| Properly Controls Proceedings | 95% | 5% | 0% |
| Court Staff (n=21) | |||
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Exhibits Integrity | 86% | 10% | 5% |
| Respects Court Employees | 90% | 10% | 0% |
| Jurors (n=16, 24% Response Rate) | |||
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Exhibits Integrity | 94% | 6% | 0% |
| Fair and Impartial | 98% | 2% | 0% |
| Communication is Clear | 89% | 6% | 5% |
| Appropriate Demeanor | 96% | 2% | 2% |
| Properly Controls Proceedings | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Resource Staff (n=11) | |||
| Category | Agree | Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree | Disagree |
| Exhibits Integrity | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Fair and Impartial | 95% | 5% | 0% |
| Communication is Clear | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Appropriate Demeanor | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Properly Controls Proceedings | 100% | 0% | 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. Some of the percentages that are reported in the above categories are an average of more than one question that appeared on the survey.