Except as otherwise provided by law, magistrates shall be nominated and elected at large within each magistrate district at the primary and general elections. In magistrate districts having more than one magistrate, the separate offices shall be designated by divisions and, in all appointments to fill vacancies and in all nominations and elections to these offices, candidates shall be designated as appointed or elected to the office of magistrate of a specific division. Magistrates shall be nominated and elected in the 1968 primary and general elections to serve terms from January 1, 1969 until December 31, 1970. Subsequent terms shall be for four years.
History: 1953 Comp., § 36-1-3, enacted by Laws 1968, ch. 62, § 5; 2000, ch. 99, § 1.
Repeals. — Laws 1968, ch. 62, § 171, repealed former 36-1-3, 1953 Comp., relating to oath of office for justices of the peace, effective January 1, 1969.
The 2000 amendment, effective March 7, 2000, in Subsection A, inserted "Except as otherwise provided by law" and "at large" in the first sentence.
Election of city attorney as magistrate. — There is no legal prohibition precluding a city attorney from serving as a magistrate, but if there is only one magistrate court available there may be ethical considerations. 1970 Op. Att'y Gen. No. 70-67.
Am. Jur. 2d, A.L.R. and C.J.S. references. — 46 Am. Jur. 2d Judges §§ 239, 240; 47 Am. Jur. 2d Justices of the Peace § 7 et seq.
Induction into military service as creating vacancy in office, 156 A.L.R. 1457, 157 A.L.R. 1456.
Power to appoint public officer for term commencing at or after expiration of term of appointing officer or body, 75 A.L.R.2d 1277.
51 C.J.S. Justices of the Peace §§ 1 to 9.
Structure 2021 New Mexico Statutes
Chapter 35 - Magistrate and Municipal Courts
Article 1 - Magistrate Court; Establishment; Districts; Election
Section 35-1-1 - Magistrate court; establishment.
Section 35-1-2 - Magistrate court; districts.
Section 35-1-3 - Magistrate court; election; terms.
Section 35-1-5 - Magistrate court; Catron district.
Section 35-1-6 - Magistrate court; Chaves district.
Section 35-1-6.1 - Magistrate court; Cibola district.
Section 35-1-7 - Magistrate court; Colfax district.
Section 35-1-8 - Magistrate court; Curry district.
Section 35-1-9 - Magistrate court; DeBaca district.
Section 35-1-10 - Magistrate court; Dona Ana district.
Section 35-1-11 - Magistrate court; Eddy district.
Section 35-1-12 - Magistrate court; Grant district.
Section 35-1-13 - Magistrate court; Guadalupe district.
Section 35-1-14 - Magistrate court; Harding district.
Section 35-1-15 - Magistrate court; Hidalgo district.
Section 35-1-16 - Magistrate court; Lea district.
Section 35-1-17 - Magistrate court; Lincoln district.
Section 35-1-18 - Magistrate court; Los Alamos district.
Section 35-1-19 - Magistrate court; Luna district.
Section 35-1-20 - Magistrate court; McKinley district.
Section 35-1-21 - Magistrate court; Mora district.
Section 35-1-22 - Magistrate court; Otero district.
Section 35-1-23 - Magistrate court; Quay district.
Section 35-1-24 - Magistrate court; Rio Arriba district.
Section 35-1-25 - Magistrate court; Roosevelt district.
Section 35-1-26 - Magistrate court; Sandoval district.
Section 35-1-27 - Magistrate court; San Juan district election division precincts.
Section 35-1-28 - Magistrate court; San Miguel district.
Section 35-1-29 - Magistrate court; Santa Fe district.
Section 35-1-30 - Magistrate court; Sierra district.
Section 35-1-31 - Magistrate court; Socorro district.
Section 35-1-32 - Magistrate court; Taos district.
Section 35-1-33 - Magistrate court; Torrance district.
Section 35-1-34 - Magistrate court; Union district.
Section 35-1-35 - Magistrate court; Valencia district.
Section 35-1-36.1 - Magistrate court; compensation.
Section 35-1-37 - Magistrate court; presiding magistrate.
Section 35-1-38 - Magistrate court; justices of the peace abolished; transfer.