The Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court is the Judicial system of the metropolitan areas of Albuquerque, New Mexico and Bernalillo County, New Mexico, U.S. The Metropolitan Courthouse is located in Downtown Albuquerque.
System
The Metropolitan Court system was established in 1980, all judges are elected by eligible voters in Bernalillo County. Judges hold 4 year terms, in 19 divisions. There are no term limits in the court system and elections are partisan.
Judges Division Judge Date assumed office Division I Asra Elliott 2022 Division II Christine Rodriguez January 1, 2017 Division III Renee Torres — Division IV Joshua J. Sanchez March 15, 2021 Division V Vacant — Division VI Maria I. Dominguez 2008 Division VII Rosemary Cosgrove-Aguilar — Division VIII Jill M. Martinez — Division IX Yvette K. Gonzalez — Division X Brittany Maldonado Malott 2019 Division XI Shonnetta Estrada — Division XII Jason Jaramillo 2019 Division XIII Michelle Castillo Dowler — Division XIV Vidalia G. Chavez — Division XV Felicia Blea-Rivera 2019 Division XVI Claire Ann McDaniel September 6, 2022 Division XVII Nina Safier March 14, 2022 Division XVIII Rosie Lazcano Allred 2006 Division XIX Vacant —
Requirements To be eligible for an office of the Metropolitan Court, a candidate must be a member of the New Mexico Bar and have practiced law in New Mexico for approximately three years.
Metropolitan Detention Center Persons being held for trial at the Metropolitan Court, or convicted of misdemeanors and serving sentences under 12 months, are incarcerated in the county jail facility, the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC), about 10 miles west of Albuquerque, on a rural mesa. The campus employs around 500 staff, and houses over 2,000 inmates. Construction was completed in 2002, to replace the overcrowded, in-town county jail near the courthouse. It is the county’s largest public facility, and single greatest consumer of electricity, using, for example, 12,627,000 kilowatts in 2012, at a cost of $981,563. Use of solar power at the facility has increased, and as of January 2014, 20% of its power was provided by a 1-megawatt system of photovoltaic panels.
References
External links City of Albuquerque – Metro Court Information Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court website