Michael E. Vigil
The Honorable

Michael E. Vigil

Court of Appeals Judge
Statewide

Year: 2012

Recommendation: Retain

Election Results: Retained

Evaluation: Judge Michael Vigil was rated positively by attorneys for his knowledge of the law, conducting himself in a manner free from impropriety, and for demonstrating proper demeanor. Law clerks and court staff rated him very highly on almost every attribute. His fellow appellate judges, as well as the trial judges, also rated him highly.

Experience & Education: Judge Vigil graduated from the College of Santa Fe with a B.A. in Political Science. He graduated from Georgetown University Law Center in 1976, and then worked in the Court of Appeals Prehearing Division for three years before entering private practice. He was in private practice for twenty-four years prior to his appointment to the New Mexico Court of Appeals in 2003. Judge Vigil is a member of numerous professional organizations as well as Supreme Court and Court of Appeals Committees and Judicial Nominating Commissions.

PERCENTAGE THAT AGREE OR DISAGREE THAT THE JUDGE EXHIBITS POSITIVE QUALITIES IN EACH CATEGORY *

Attorneys (n=139, 33.7% Response Rate)
Category Agree Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree Disagree
Exhibits Integrity 88% 11% 2%
Fair and Impartial 84% 11% 5%
Knowledgeable of Law 85% 12% 3%
Respects Court Employees N/A N/A N/A
Appropriate Demeanor 93% 5% 2%
Timeliness of Rulings 88% 8% 4%
Handles Ongoing Workload N/A N/A N/A
Court Staff (n=42, 44.2% Response Rate)
Category Agree Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree Disagree
Exhibits Integrity 85% 10% 5%
Respects Court Employees 82% 8% 11%
Timeliness of Rulings 100% 0% 0%
Handles Ongoing Workload 95% 5% 0%
Appellate Judges (n=13, 88% Response Rate)
Category Agree Partly Agree/ Partly Disagree Disagree
Exhibits Integrity 83% 17% 0%
Fair and Impartial 77% 15% 8%
Knowledgeable of Law 87% 13% 0%
Respects Court Employees 90% 10% 0%
Appropriate Demeanor 100% 0% 0%
Timeliness of Rulings 82% 18% 0%
Handles Ongoing Workload 82% 18% 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. "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. ‡

Attorney Retain Recommendation Bar ChartCourt Staff Retain Recommendation Bar ChartAppellate Judges Retain Recommendation Bar Chart

‡ 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.