Longtime New Mexico public defender.

“My number one pet peeve is judges. I wish judges were stronger in terms of holding people’s feet to the fire in my district. And I think the reason is, in particular in this district, that the judges that have been appointed to the bench have become less and less experienced.”

“You have judges at all levels, from Metro to Superior Courts, becoming judges that are not qualified. I would venture to say they didn’t even have a jury trial that they had ever done before becoming judges.”

“Judges should be required to meet a minimum in terms of actual litigation experience, not just simply have a law degree and, I guess, be a citizen of the county.”

Recorded on March 29, 2023