New Mexico

New Mexico Supreme Court By The Numbers:

Justice

Both a former prosecutor & public defender

  • 5 total seats
  • 0 current vacancies
  • 1 prosecutor
  • 1 public defender
  • 1 Justice is both a former prosecutor & public defender
  • 0 Justices have other indigent defense experience
  • 0 civil rights lawyers

How Members of the New Mexico Supreme Court are Selected:

Partisan Election, Retention Election

Justices are selected in partisan elections to eight-year terms. To remain on the court, justices must receive at least 57% of the vote in subsequent nonpartisan retention elections. Interim selections to fill vacancies that occur between elections are made by governor appointment and appointees must win in the next general election to remain on the court.

Selection method sources:

Ballotpedia, Judicial Election Methods By State