SANTA FE – The New Mexico Judicial Compensation Commission will meet next week to consider recommendations to the 2022 Legislature for a possible judicial salary increase.
TIME: 1 p.m.
DATE: Tuesday, June 29.
PLACE: Supreme Court Building, Room 208
237 Don Gaspar, Santa Fe, NM
The meeting will be live streamed and members of the public can view it on the New Mexico Courts YouTube channel.
Click here for the June 29 meeting agenda.
The independent six-member commission is required by state law to annually recommend a judicial pay plan to the Legislative Finance Committee and the Department of Finance and Administration.
The commission has concluded in past reports that improved judicial salaries are needed to help retain judges and recruit a more diverse mix of experienced attorneys for judgeships because lawyers can earn more money in private practice than if they served as a judge. New Mexico judges are among the lowest paid in the nation, according to an annual survey by the National Center for State Courts.
A 3.5% salary increase was approved by the 2021 Legislature and signed into law by the governor. The annual salary for a district court judge in New Mexico will be $138,438 when the increase takes effect in July. The salary of a New Mexico Supreme Court justice will be $153,394.
The commission is chaired by Sergio Pareja, dean of the University of New Mexico School of Law. Other members are Kathleen “Kay” Marr, former secretary of the Department of Finance and Administration; Deborah Seligman, Santa Fe; Patrick Ortiz, a Santa Fe attorney, and Carla Martinez, president of the State Bar of New Mexico. One commission position is vacant.
The commission’s 2020 report is available online.
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Contact: Barry Massey
Administrative Office of the Courts
505-827-4805; 505-470-3436
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