COURT News:SANTA FE ― The Judicial Compensation Commission will meet Wednesday to consider recommendations to the Legislature for a possible judicial salary increase in the 2019 fiscal year.
- TIME: 9 a.m.
- DATE: Wednesday, July 5.
- PLACE: Supreme Court Building, Room 208, 237 Don Gaspar, Santa Fe.
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.
Improved judicial salaries are needed to help retain judges and recruit a diverse mix of experienced attorneys for judgeships, the commission has concluded in past reports.
The annual salary for a district court judge in New Mexico ($118,384) ranks the lowest in the nation for trial courts, according to a 2017 survey by the National Center for State Courts. The salary of a New Mexico Supreme Court justice ($131,174) ranks next to last among appellate courts of the last resort in all states and the District of Columbia.
Salaries of New Mexico judges have remained unchanged since 2014 when a 5% increase was enacted. The commission in 2016 recommended a 2% cost-of-living adjustment and a 5% base salary increase for judges.
The commission is chaired by Alfred Mathewson, dean of the University of New Mexico School of Law. Other members are William Fulginiti, executive director of the New Mexico Municipal League; Kathleen “Kay” Marr, former secretary of the Department of Finance and Administration; Deborah Seligman, Santa Fe; and Wesley Pool, a Clovis attorney and president-elect of the State Bar of New Mexico. One commission position is vacant.
The commission’s prior reports and materials for to the July 5 meeting are available online: https://www.nmcourts.gov/judicial-compensation-commission.aspx
