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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – November 13, 2023
SANTA FE–The New Mexico Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission (JPEC) has appointed veteran law enforcement officer Phillip Francisco as its newest member.
Francisco, who has more than 24 years of law enforcement experience, currently serves as chief of police in Bloomfield, New Mexico. His prior experience includes more than five years as chief of police of the Navajo Nation Police Department. In addition, he served for nearly two years as a police officer and field training officer with the Farmington (New Mexico) Police Department; more than 13 years as a patrol officer, supervisor and DWI Traffic Unit officer with the San Juan County Sheriff’s Department; and more than two years as a patrol officer with the City of Aztec Police Department.
Francisco was a specialist and team leader in the U.S. Army for nearly four years, where he was posted at Fort Hood, Texas, and Camp Carol, Korea. In addition, he served in the U.S. Army National Guard as a Platoon Leader 2nd Lieutenant/Military Police officer for nearly four years.
Francisco earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of New Mexico and an Associate of Applied Science degree in Police Science from San Juan College. He has completed training and certifications at the FBI National Academy, the New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy, the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services and the New Mexico Department of Transportation Traffic Safety Bureau.
He previously served as Vice Chair of the International Association of Chiefs of Police Indian Country Section, Chair of the Navajo Nation Peace Officer Standards Training and received the Mothers Against Drunk Driving Hero Award in 2006.
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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Commission also releases biographical information on one Court of Appeals judge it has not had sufficient time to evaluate
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – September 16, 2022
ALBUQUERQUE – The New Mexico Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission (JPEC) today recommended that voters retain one Supreme Court Justice and seven Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court Judges standing for retention on the 2022 general election ballot. Under state law, these judges must receive at least 57 percent voter approval to remain on the bench.
“The last two years have been very challenging for these judges. The Commission did take factors such as COVID-19 and the need to conduct hearings and trials remotely into consideration, as well as their overall performance," said Denise Torres, chair of JPEC.
This year, JPEC’s recommendations to voters statewide are:
Retain Honorable Michael E. Vigil, Supreme Court of New Mexico
Retain the following judges on the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court:
Rosie Lazcano Allred
Vidalia Chavez
Maria I. Dominguez
Jason Jaramillo
Brittany Maldonado Malott
Jill M. Martinez
Christine Rodriguez
The Commission did not make a recommendation to voters on Court of Appeals Judge Jane B. Yohalem because of the time frame of the evaluation, the rules governing the evaluation process and New Mexico legislation on judicial retention terms. Judge Yohalem was elected a New Mexico Court of Appeals judge in November 2020.
Torres noted that several Metropolitan Court judges did have fairly low scores among some of the populations surveyed, such as court staff or resource staff. Resource staff includes law enforcement, probation and parole officers and others who provide services to the courts. She said the Commission recommended retaining these judicial candidates because their survey scores were higher among other populations surveyed or had improved since their confidential mid-term evaluations.
"The Commission takes its responsibility very seriously and does not make a ‘do not retain’ recommendation unless the judge does not improve from his or her interim evaluation to the final evaluation, if his or her scores continue to drop and/or if he or she does not express a desire or commitment to improve," Torres explained.
To compile its evaluations and recommendations to voters, JPEC contracts with an independent market research firm to survey individuals who come in contact with each judge, including other judges (for Supreme Court justices and Court of Appeals judges only), attorneys, court staff and resource staff.
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), recusals (reasons a judge is disqualified 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. The evaluations released to voters also include information on the judge’s experience and education.
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 and every 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 and vote in each retention election for your judicial district. 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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When You Vote This Year, Vote all the Way through Your Ballot
By Denise Torres, Chair
New Mexico Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission
On this year's ballot you will see two statewide judicial retention races and seven Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court races. Under New Mexico law, judges must receive 57 percent voter approval to continue in their current positions.
You may never have heard of these individuals or come in contact with them, so how do you decide whether they should stay on the bench? The New Mexico Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission (JPEC) was established in 1997 as a volunteer, nonpartisan commission to provide useful, credible information to voters on judges standing for retention.
JPEC uses an objective, carefully monitored process to review their performance in four main areas: 1) legal ability; 2) fairness; 3) communications skills; and 4) preparation, attentiveness, temperament and control over proceedings. These four areas are based on the American Bar Association professional definition of what constitutes a "good judge."
To measure a judge's performance, JPEC works with an independent research firm to send out confidential surveys to individuals who have come in contact with that judge, including other judges, attorneys, court staff and resource staff, such as law enforcement officers.
We also review statistics from the Administrative Office of the Courts on the judge's caseload, excusals (reason a judge is excused from hearing a case), recusals (reason a judge is disqualified from hearing a case) and the time it takes cases to get resolved.
JPEC conducts at least one personal survey with each judge being evaluated – two interviews when time permits -- to share the survey results, address any areas of improvement and assess their overall performance.
Not all voters take the time to vote in judicial retention races. On average, somewhere between one and two out of every five voters who cast a ballot in the "top of the ticket" race such as president or governor fail to vote in judicial retention elections.
You should you vote all the way through the ballot because these judges make important decisions.
The Supreme Court is the court of last resort with superintending control over all inferior (lower) courts and attorneys licensed in the state. This court has mandatory appellate jurisdiction over criminal matters in which the sentence imposed is life in prison or the death penalty, appeals from the Public Regulation Commission, appeals from the granting of writs of habeas corpus (demonstrating a valid reason for a person to be legally detained), appeals in actions challenging nominations and removal of public officials.
The Court of Appeals is the intermediate appellate court in New Mexico, with mandatory jurisdiction in civil and non-capital criminal and juvenile cases.
The Metropolitan Court is a court of limited jurisdiction and jury trials. This court hears specific types of cases including tort (an act or omission that gives rise to injury or harm and amounts to a civil wrong), contract, landlord/tenant rights ($0-10,000), felony first appearance, misdemeanor, DWI/DUI, domestic violence and other traffic violations.
This year, we are recommending voters retain New Mexico Supreme Court Justice Michael E. Vigil and all seven Metropolitan Court judges standing for retention -- Rosie Lazcano Allred, Vidalia Chavez, Maria I. Dominguez, Jason Jaramillo, Brittany Maldonado Malott, Jill M. Martinez and Christine Rodriguez.
JPEC was unable to evaluate New Mexico Court of Appeals Judge Jane B. Yohalem and make a recommendation to voters because of the time frame of the evaluation, the rules governing JPEC's evaluation process and New Mexico legislation on judicial retention terms. This is no reflection on Judge Yohalem's performance. Judge Yohalem was elected to the Court of Appeals in November 2020.
We encourage every single voter to get the information they need to make an informed decision. For information about JPEC and our evaluations, visit www.nmjpec.org or call 1-800-687-3417.
Your vote and your voice are important. Please vote all the way through the ballot this year, including the judicial retention races.
Denise Torres is Chair of the New Mexico Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission and has been a member of JPEC since 2008. She is a sole practitioner in the Law Firm of Denise Torres, LLC, specializing in providing mediation services throughout the state and in other areas of the country.
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When You Vote This Year, Vote all the Way through Your Ballot
By Denise Torres, Chair
New Mexico Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission
On this year's ballot you will see two statewide judicial retention races. Senior Justice Michael E. Vigil is standing for retention to serve another term on the New Mexico Supreme Court and Judge Jane B. Yohalem is standing for retention on the New Mexico Court of Appeals. Under New Mexico law, they must receive 57 percent voter approval to continue in their current positions.
You may never have heard of either of these individuals or come in contact with them, so how do you decide whether they should stay on the bench? The New Mexico Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission (JPEC) was established in 1997 as a volunteer, nonpartisan commission to provide useful, credible information to voters on judges standing for retention.
JPEC uses an objective, carefully monitored process to review their performance in four main areas: 1) legal ability; 2) fairness; 3) communications skills; and 4) preparation, attentiveness, temperament and control over proceedings. These four areas are based on the American Bar Association professional definition of what constitutes a "good judge."
To measure a judge's performance, JPEC works with an independent research firm to send out confidential surveys to individuals who have come in contact with that judge, including other judges, attorneys and court staff.
We also review statistics from the Administrative Office of the Courts on the judge's caseload, excusals (reason a judge is excused from hearing a case), recusals (reason a judge is disqualified from hearing a case) and the time it takes cases to get resolved.
JPEC conducts at least one personal interview with each judge being evaluated -- two interviews when time permits -- to share the survey results, address any areas of improvement and assess their overall performance. JPEC considers a substantial amount of data before making its recommendations to voters.
The truth is, not all voters take the time to vote in judicial retention races. On average, somewhere between one and two out of every five voters who cast a ballot in the "top of the ticket" race such as president, congressional representative, senator or governor, fail to vote in judicial retention elections.
Why should you vote all the way through the ballot? These judges make important decisions. The Supreme Court is the court of last resort and has superintending control over all inferior (lower) courts and attorneys licensed in the state. This court has mandatory appellate jurisdiction over criminal matters in which the sentence imposed is life in prison or the death penalty, appeals from the Public Regulation Commission, appeals from the granting of writs of habeas corpus (demonstrating a valid reason for a person to be legally detained), appeals in actions challenging nominations and removal of public officials.
The Court of Appeals is the intermediate appellate court in New Mexico, with mandatory jurisdiction in civil and non-capital criminal and juvenile cases. This court hears the majority of appeals from lower courts.
This year, we are recommending voters retain New Mexico Supreme Court Justice Michael E. Vigil. We were unable to evaluate New Mexico Court of Appeals Judge Jane B. Yohalem and make a recommendation to voters because of the time frame of the evaluation, the rules governing JPEC's evaluation process and New Mexico legislation on judicial retention terms. This is no reflection on Judge Yohalem's performance. Judge Yohalem was elected to the Court of Appeals in November 2020.
We encourage every single voter to get the information they need to make an informed decision. For more information about JPEC and our evaluations, visit www.nmjpec.org or call 1- 800-687-3417.
Your vote and your voice are important. Please vote all the way through the ballot this year, including the judicial retention races.
Denise Torres is Chair of the New Mexico Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission and has been a member of JPEC since 2008. She is a sole practitioner in the Law Firm of Denise Torres, LLC, specializing in providing mediation services throughout the state and in other areas of the country.
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New Mexico Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – January 24, 2022
SANTA FE–The New Mexico Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission (NMJPEC) has appointed Anna M. Aragon of Las Vegas, Reverend Delmus L. Gillis II of Clovis, and Corey M. Helton of Lovington as new members.
Aragon is a New Mexico native who has had her own law practice specializing in criminal defense and family law in Las Vegas, New Mexico, since 1984. She began her career in child support enforcement and later worked for two years in the District Attorney’s Office.
Aragon has served as a lecturer in law with the University of New Mexico’s Misdemeanor Defense Program. She previously served on the New Mexico Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission from 2012-2013. She earned her law degree from the University of New Mexico School of Law.
Gillis is Senior Pastor at the Bethlehem Baptist Church in Clovis. After graduating from high school in 1991, he joined the U.S. Air Force. He is a decorated veteran who served in Operation Desert Storm; Operation Northern Watch in Incirlik, Turkey; Operation Southern Watch in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Operation Allied Force in Kosovo; and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. He retired from the military in 2014 after 23 years of active duty service.
Prior to his current position at Bethlehem Baptist Church, Gillis served in ministry at the New Hope Baptist Church, Chickasha, Oklahoma; the Kadena Gospel Fellowship, Okinawa, Japan; and St. John Baptist Church in Clovis. He holds Associate's Degrees from the Community College of the Air Force and Wayland Baptist University. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Wayland Baptist University and a Master of Arts in Theological Studies from Liberty University Theological Seminary in Lynchburg, Virginia.
Helton was elected as Lea County Sheriff in June 2018. He worked as a ranch hand and hunting guide before enlisting in the U.S. Army. While serving in the Army, Helton rose from the rank of Infantryman to Sergeant, completing courses in leadership, the U.S. Army Airborne School, the U.S. Army Ranger School and the U.S Army Sniper School.
After serving in the Army for six years, in 1994 Helton joined the Hobbs, New Mexico, Police Department, where he held positions as Field Training Officer, K-9 Officer, SWAT Operator, Sniper Team Leader, Assistant SWAT Commander, Internal Affairs Investigator, Detective, Task Force Office with ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives), Firearms Instructor, Latent Fingerprint Examiner and Patrol Sergeant.
Helton retired from the Hobbs Police Department in 2014. He worked for two firms in the oil and gas industry, GLOBE Energy and DMC Oilfield Services, for two years. He rejoined the Hobbs Police Department prior to being elected Sheriff.
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.