New Mexico 2025 Regular Session

New Mexico House Bill HB244 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1		-	~~HB 244~~
2		-	~~Page 1~~
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	28	+	HOUSE BILL 244
	29	+	57
	30	+	TH LEGISLATURE
	31	+	-
	32	+
	33	+	STATE
	34	+
	35	+	OF
	36	+
	37	+	NEW
	38	+
	39	+	MEXICO
	40	+
	41	+	-
	42	+	FIRST SESSION
	43	+	,
	44	+
	45	+	2025
	46	+	INTRODUCED BY
	47	+	Charlotte Little and Andrea Reeb and Mark Duncan and
	48	+	D. Wonda Johnson
28	49		AN ACT
29	50		RELATING TO MAGISTRATE COURT; PROVIDING FOR A MINIMUM AGE OF
30	51		TWENTY-EIGHT FOR MAGISTRATE JUDGES.
31	52		BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:
32	53		SECTION 1. Section 35-2-1 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1968,
33	54		Chapter 62, Section 41, as amended) is amended to read:
34	55		"35-2-1. QUALIFICATION--PERSONAL QUALIFICATIONS.--
35	56		A. Each magistrate shall not be less than twenty-
36	57		eight years of age at the time of the election and shall be a
37	58		qualified elector of, and reside in, the magistrate district
38	59		for which the magistrate is elected or appointed.
39	60		B. No person is eligible for election or
40	61		appointment to the office of magistrate unless the person has
41		-	graduated from high school or has attained the equivalent of
42		-	a high school education as indicated by possession of a high
43		-	school equivalency credential issued by the public education
44		-	department based upon the record made on the high school
45		-	equivalency credential test.
46		-	C. In magistrate districts with a population of
47		-	more than two hundred thousand persons in the last federal
48		-	decennial census, no person is eligible for election to the
49		-	office of magistrate unless the person:
50		-	(1) is a member of the bar of this state and
51		-	licensed to practice law in this state; or HB 244
52		-	Page 2
	62	+	graduated from high school or has attained the equivalent of a
	63	+	high school education as indicated by possession of a high
	64	+	.229052.1SA underscored material = new
	65	+	[bracketed material] = delete
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	91	+	school equivalency credential issued by the public education
	92	+	department based upon the record made on the high school
	93	+	equivalency credential test.
	94	+	C. In magistrate districts with a population of
	95	+	more than two hundred thousand persons in the last federal
	96	+	decennial census, no person is eligible for election to the
	97	+	office of magistrate unless the person:
	98	+	(1) is a member of the bar of this state and
	99	+	licensed to practice law in this state; or
78	100		(2) holds the office of magistrate in that
79	101		district when the federal decennial census is published, as
80	102		long as there is no break in service.
81	103		D. In magistrate districts with a population of
82	104		more than two hundred thousand persons in the last federal
83		-	decennial census, no person is eligible for appointment to
84		-	~~the~~ office of magistrate unless the person is a member of the
85		-	~~bar~~ of this state and licensed to practice law in this state.
	105	+	decennial census, no person is eligible for appointment to the
	106	+	office of magistrate unless the person is a member of the bar
	107	+	of this state and licensed to practice law in this state.
86	108		E. A person holding the office of magistrate shall
87	109		not engage in the private practice of law during tenure in
88	110		office."
	111	+	- 2 -
	112	+	.229052.1SA