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NEW MEXICO JUDICIAL PERFORMANCE EVALUATION COMMISSION RECOMMENDS RETAINING ONE SUPREME COURT JUSTICE, THREE COURT OF APPEALS JUDGES, 24 DISTRICT COURT JUDGES AND SEVEN METROPOLITAN COURT JUDGES IN 2024 GENERAL ELECTION
Commission also releases biographical information on District Court judges it has not had sufficient time to evaluate.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – September 13, 2024
ALBUQUERQUE – The New Mexico Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission (JPEC) today recommended voters retain 35 of 39 judges who are standing for retention on the 2024 General Election ballot. The other four judicial retention candidates have not served sufficient time for JPEC to make a recommendation to voters. Under state law, the judges must receive at least 57 percent approval to remain on the bench.
"We are pleased that all the judges we evaluated earned retain recommendations this year, due to mostly positive evaluations from those they interact with including other judges, lawyers, resource staff such as law enforcement and probation/parole officers, CASA volunteers, CYFD, interpreters and, in some cases, jurors. A number of judges had improved their survey scores since their previous evaluations," said Denise Torres, chair of JPEC.
Lee Hunt, vice chair of JPEC, added, "Some judicial candidates expressed a willingness to address any weaknesses and a sincere desire to continue improving their performance during our personal interviews with them."
This year, JPEC’s recommendations to voters statewide are:
Retain Honorable Briana H. Zamora, Supreme Court of New Mexico
Retain Honorable Jennifer L. Attrep, Megan P. Duffy and Shammara H. Henderson of the New Mexico Court of Appeals
For the District Court, JPEC’s recommendations are:
First Judicial District Court – Serving Los Alamos, Rio Arriba and Santa Fe counties
Retain Honorable Bryan Paul Biedscheid, Shannon Broderick Bulman and Matthew Justin Wilson.
Second Judicial District Court – Serving Bernalillo County
Retain Honorable Denise Barela-Shepherd, Cindy Leos, Victor S. Lopez, Brett R. Loveless, Elaine P. Lujan, Daniel E. "Dan" Ramczyk and Courtney Bryn Weaks. Insufficient time to evaluate Honorable David Allen Murphy and Emeterio L. Rudolfo.
Third Judicial District Court – Serving Doña Ana County
Retain Honorable Richard M. Jacquez, James T. Martin and Conrad F. Perea.
Fourth Judicial District Court – Serving Guadalupe, Mora and San Miguel counties
Retain Honorable Floripa "Flora" Gallegos.
Fifth Judicial District Court – Serving Chaves, Eddy and Lea counties
Retain Honorable James M. "Jim" Hudson and Lisa B. Riley. Insufficient time to evaluate Honorable Ann Marie Cherokee Lewis.
Sixth Judicial District Court – Serving Grant, Hidalgo and Luna counties
Retain Honorable James B. "Jim" Foy.
Seventh Judicial District Court – Serving Catron, Sierra, Socorro and Torrance counties
Retain Honorable Shannon L. Murdock-Poff.
Eighth Judicial District Court – Serving Colfax, Taos and Union counties
Retain Honorable Jeffrey B. "Jeff" Shannon.
Ninth Judicial District Court – Serving Curry and Roosevelt counties
Retain Honorable Fred Travis Van Soelen.
Eleventh Judicial District Court – Serving McKinley and San Juan counties
Retain Honorable Sarah V. Weaver.
Twelfth Judicial District Court – Serving Lincoln and Otero counties
Retain Honorable Daniel A. "Dan" Bryant.
Thirteenth Judicial District Court – Serving Cibola, Sandoval and Valencia counties
Retain Honorable Cindy M. Mercer and Allen R. Smith. Insufficient time to evaluate Honorable Allison P. Martinez.
For the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court, JPEC’s recommendations are:
Retain Honorable Felicia Blea-Rivera, Rosemary Cosgrove-Aguilar, Michelle Castillo Dowler, Asra I. Elliott, Yvette K. Gonzales, Nina Aviva Safier and Renée Torres.
Judges are evaluated on their overall performance in four main areas: 1) legal ability; 2) fairness; 3) communication skills; and 4) preparation, attentiveness, temperament and control over proceedings.
JPEC also reviews statistics from the Administrative Office of the Courts for each judge including caseloads, excusals (reasons a judge is excused from hearing a case) and the time it takes to get cases resolved.
In addition, JPEC meets one-on-one with each judge being evaluated to review the survey results as well as his or her self-assessment of performance.
JPEC has posted evaluations in English and Spanish on its website, www.nmjpec.org. Individuals may download voter’s guides for their judicial district or call 1-800-687-3417 to request information by mail. In addition, JPEC will inform voters about its evaluations through advertising and social media.
"We encourage each individual to vote in all elections for which they are eligible – including the judicial retention elections. These elections are near the end of the ballot, so please take the time to go all the way through the ballot. Your vote does matter," Torres concluded.
JPEC has 15 volunteer members, including seven lawyers and eight non-lawyers who are appointed to staggered terms. Members are appointed to represent diverse professions, backgrounds and geographical areas of the state.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – September 5, 2024
WHO: The New Mexico Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission (JPEC), a nonpartisan volunteer commission created by the New Mexico Supreme Court to evaluate the performance of judges and justices and make recommendations to voters on whether they should be retained.
WHAT: JPEC’s release to the public of its evaluations and recommendations to voters on one Supreme Court Justice, three Court of Appeals judges, 24 District Court judges and seven Metropolitan Court judges.
WHEN: Friday, September 13, 2024 at 10 a.m.
WHERE: Join Zoom Meeting
us02web.zoom.us/j/89887551509
Meeting ID: 898 8755 1509
WHY: Under our state’s constitution, judges standing for retention must receive at least 57 percent voter approval to remain on the bench. JPEC was created to help judges improve their overall performance on the bench and to provide useful, credible information to voters on whether judges should be retained.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Patti Watson, 505-245-3134 (direct office), 505-269-9691 (cell) or pattiw@cwastrategic.com
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – July 15, 2024
SANTA FE–The New Mexico Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission (JPEC) has appointed Stacy Blazer-Clark of Las Cruces and Richard R. Carbajal, Sr. of Belen as its newest members.
Blazer-Clark is the New Mexico Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs Statewide SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner) Director. In that position, she oversees activities, coordination and support for 10 SANE programs throughout New Mexico, which serve victims of sexual assault and domestic violence by providing immediate, compassionate, and culturally sensitive medical treatment as well as forensic evaluation by nurse experts.
She is also an instructor at New Mexico State University teaching undergraduate courses in social work and social policy. Her prior experience includes positions as Executive Director and Case Manager as well as SANE Manager for La Piñon Sexual Assault Recovery Services in Las Cruces. Blazer-Clark earned Master of Social Work and Bachelor of Social Work degrees from New Mexico State University. She is a Certified Parenting Educator through the Circle of Security Curriculum and is a volunteer member of the Intimate Partner Violence Death Review Team.
Carbajal is retired from the New Mexico Air National Guard, where he served for 33 years in increasingly responsible positions during a career as an Avionics Sensor Technician. His most recent positions include Maintenance Operations Flight Superintendent, Maintenance Operations Center Section Chief and Maintenance Operations Center Supervisor with the 150 Special Operations and the 150 Fighter Wing, respectively, at Kirtland Air Force Base.
He also served in law enforcement for eight years as a shift supervisor and patrol officer for the University of New Mexico Police Department and a patrol officer with the Belen Police Department. Carbajal earned an Associate Degree in Avionic Systems Technology from the Community College of the Air Force and is an outstanding graduate of the Senior Noncommissioned Officer (NCO) Academy at the Air University of Maxwell Air Force Base and the NCO Academy at Kirtland Air Force Base.
He continues to serve his community as a sports official and a member of the New Mexico Officials Association Executive Board and is co-founder and community outreach coordinator of Operation Harvest Outreach at his local church. He and his wife, Theresa, are the proud parents of seven children and ten grandchildren.
NMJPEC was established by the Supreme Court of New Mexico in 1997 as a volunteer, nonpartisan commission to improve the performance of New Mexico’s judges and provide useful, credible information to voters on judges standing for retention in general elections. Under state law, - judges standing for retention must receive 57 percent voter approval to remain on the bench. The New Mexico Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission is comprised of 15 individuals – seven lawyers and eight non-lawyers – who are appointed by the Supreme Court to staggered terms. Members are selected from nominations made by the Governor, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Speaker of the House, Senate President Pro Tempore, House Minority Leader, Senate Minority Leader and President of the State Bar. Members are appointed to represent diverse professions, backgrounds and geographical areas of the state.
For more information about the Commission, visit nmjpec.org.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – February 21, 2024
SANTA FE–The New Mexico Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission (JPEC) has appointed the Honorable Alan M. Malott, a retired district court judge, as its newest member.
Judge Malott has practiced law for nearly 45 years in New Mexico. He served as a District Court Judge in the 2nd Judicial District from 2009-2018 and was honored as "Judge of the Year" in 2013 by the Albuquerque Bar Association. While on the bench, he presided over more than 1,400 active civil cases at a time. He was appointed a mediator by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe case, which had more than 400 claimants.
In his legal career, Judge Malott has focused on civil trial practice including insurance, personal injury, real estate, zoning and worker’s compensation. He currently specializes in alternative dispute resolution throughout New Mexico and was inducted into The National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals in 2023. Throughout his legal career, Judge Malott has held an AV Preeminent Rating from Martindale-Hubble, the top peer review rating used to recognize lawyers for their legal ability and ethical standards.
Judge Malott earned his Juris Doctor (JD) degree from the University of New Mexico and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Arizona State University.
He is a frequent lecturer for the State Bar of New Mexico and the New Mexico Trial Lawyers Association and authored a weekly column, "Judge for Yourself," in the Albuquerque Journal for six years.
NMJPEC was established by the Supreme Court of New Mexico in 1997 as a volunteer, nonpartisan commission to improve the performance of New Mexico’s judges and provide useful, credible information to voters on judges standing for retention in general elections. Under state law, judges standing for retention must receive 57 percent voter approval to remain on the bench.
The New Mexico Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission is comprised of 15 individuals – seven lawyers and eight non-lawyers – who are appointed by the Supreme Court to staggered terms. Members are selected from nominations made by the Governor, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Speaker of the House, Senate President Pro Tempore, House Minority Leader, Senate Minority Leader and President of the State Bar.
For more information about the Commission, visit www.nmjpec.org.
For more information about the Commission, visit nmjpec.org.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – January 9, 2024
SANTA FE–The New Mexico Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission (JPEC) has appointed Gregory Gaudette, an attorney in Los Lunas, as its newest member.
Gaudette has owned his own legal practice in Los Lunas for 25 years and specializes in criminal defense. He was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 1986 and to the New Mexico Bar in 1991. Prior to opening his own practice, Gaudette served in the U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAG) for nine years, stationed in Korea, at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico and in Washington, D.C. He served in the Air Force Reserves and the New Mexico Air National Guard for more than 18 years.
Gaudette holds a Master of Laws (LLM) degree from Boston University School of Law and earned a Juris Doctor (JD) degree from Stetson University College of Law in Florida. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with dual majors in history and political science from the University of Richmond in Virginia.
He has been a member of the Rotary Club of Los Lunas for 23 years.
NMJPEC was established by the Supreme Court of New Mexico in 1997 as a volunteer, nonpartisan commission to improve the performance of New Mexico’s judges and provide useful, credible information to voters on judges standing for retention in general elections. Under state law, judges standing for retention must receive 57 percent voter approval to remain on the bench.
The New Mexico Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission is comprised of 15 individuals – seven lawyers and eight non-lawyers – who are appointed by the Supreme Court to staggered terms. Members are selected from nominations made by the Governor, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Speaker of the House, Senate President Pro Tempore, House Minority Leader, Senate Minority Leader and President of the State Bar.
For more information about the Commission, visit www.nmjpec.org
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