The bill proposes significant changes to the structure of magistrate courts in New Mexico, specifically targeting the McKinley, Santa Fe, Torrance, Dona Ana, and Lea districts. It amends several sections of the New Mexico Statutes Annotated (NMSA) to reflect these changes. For instance, the Dona Ana district will maintain seven magistrates operating as a single court in Las Cruces, while the Lea district will have four magistrates with specific divisions operating in Hobbs, Eunice, and Lovington. The McKinley district will have three magistrates in Gallup, and the Santa Fe district will consist of four magistrates in Santa Fe.

Additionally, the bill outlines the future structure of the Rio Arriba district, which will have two magistrates operating as a single court in Espanola, with a transition in 2027 to include circuit riding to Tierra Amarilla. The Torrance district will have one magistrate based in Moriarty. The bill emphasizes that magistrate judges will be elected by the voters of their respective divisions and must reside within those divisions while having district-wide jurisdiction. These amendments aim to streamline the operations of magistrate courts across the specified districts.

Statutes affected:
introduced version: 35-1-10, 35-1-12, 35-1-16, 35-1-20, 35-1-24, 35-1-27, 35-1-29, 35-1-33
Final Version: 35-1-10, 35-1-16, 35-1-20, 35-1-24, 35-1-29, 35-1-33