The Court

The Third Judicial District Court is New Mexico’s trial Court of General Jurisdiction.  In addition to conducting trials of all civil and criminal actions not reserved to the Federal Court, this Court hears civil and criminal appeals from the Doña Ana County Magistrate Court and the Municipal Courts of the Cities of Las Cruces, Sunland Park, Hatch and Anthony.

The Third Judicial District Court also hears administrative appeals from a wide variety of state and local entities including the Department of Workforce Solutions, the Taxation and Revenue Department, property tax appeals, and various zoning and land use boards.

Local Rules

Current versions of the Court’s local rules may be found through any of the various online legal databases or at the website of the New Mexico Supreme Court Law Library under “Statutes and Cases”.

Out of State Attorneys

New Mexico treats pro hac vice appearances differently depending upon the nature of the case and the level in the Court system. Information concerning pro hac vice appearances in civil and appellate matters can be found at the State Bar website:www.nmbar.org

Criminal appearances are governed by Rule 5-108 of the Rules of Criminal Procedure for the District Courts. This Rule can be accessed through the Supreme Court Law Library website.

AOC Contract Attorneys

The Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) receives a limited amount of state general fund monies to provide legal representation to indigent clients in certain types of civil proceedings. The majority of the funds available in the Court Appointed Attorney’s Fees Fund (CAAFF) are expended to retain contract attorneys in Children’s Code and Mental Health proceedings. The AOC provides seven contract attorneys to the Third Judicial District Court:

2 Guardian ad Litem Attorneys

1 Youth Attorney

3 Respondents’ Attorneys

1 Mental Health Attorney

These contractors are selected by AOC through a formal Request For Proposals process.  Interested parties can find the RFP information on the AOC Contract Attorneys website noted below.

AOC Court Appointed Attorneys Page