By MAIRE O’NEILL

First Judicial District Court Administrator Stephen T. Pacheco confirmed Wednesday that the Court is not sending a clerk to the Los Alamos Justice Center Wednesdays as it has in the past to provide services for local residents.

“The judiciary as a whole has been underserved for the past several years,” Pacheco said. “Our District Court is currently down by seven clerks. On occasion, we have had only one or two people come by on our day in Los Alamos, so for the time being we will not have a clerk there on Wednesdays.”

Magistrate Court Judge Pat Casados said she first found out about the change Aug. 9 when no clerk showed up. She said she had not been notified about the change and that she had written to Pacheco and Chief Judge Sarah Singleton letting them know she was not happy about the decision.

Pacheco said it was unfortunate Judge Casados had not been informed. He said that the issue is expected to be discussed at a District Court judges’ retreat next weekend and that the future of services in Los Alamos is expected to be decided at that time.

Currently, District Judge Mary Marlowe Sommers, who comes to Los Alamos one morning a month for docket call, is the only district judge to utilize the Justice Center on any kind of regular basis. The Los Alamos Police Department transports detainees to and from Santa Fe for court appearances before Judge Marlowe Sommers and Judge T. Glenn Ellington. The Justice Center has the ability to have defendants appear for video arraignment but to date, the system is generally only used by Judge Casados for Magistrate Court cases. Pacheco said he would raise this issue at next weekend’s retreat.