Darren Murray Kugler
District Court Judge
3rd Judicial District
Doña Ana County
Year: 2014
Evaluation: The Rules Governing the Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission allow for an evaluation of a judge only if a judge has served at least two years in the current position or has sufficient data to achieve a statistically valid sample. Judge Darren Kugler has served on the Third Judicial District Court since January 2013, which does not allow enough time or sufficient data for the Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission to evaluate him prior to the November 2014 election.
Experience & Education: Judge Darren Murray Kugler was elected in 2012. He served as the Third Judicial District’s Domestic Violence Commissioner until he was elected to the District Court. In addition, he served as a public defender, assistant district attorney and as a private attorney handling criminal, civil and family cases. Judge Kugler received his undergraduate degree from the University of New Mexico and his law degree from the University of New Mexico School of Law in 2000.