CORONAVIRUS & THE COURTS: UPDATE

New Mexico courts have implemented measures to minimize public health risks from coronavirus (COVID-19) for those who visit or work in courthouses.

On March 11, Supreme Court Chief Justice Judith K. Nakamura announced that state courts – district, magistrate, metropolitan and appellate courts – will remain open for business to ensure courts fulfill their constitutional and statutory duties.

“The Judiciary’s responsibility to ensure constitutional protections are available to those who need them has been especially important during difficult times in our history. We are working closely with state and local governments and taking steps to ensure that courthouses are safe for jurors, litigants, lawyers, judicial employees, judges and all members of the public.” Chief Justice Nakamura said.  

For additional information, please click here.

ACCESS TO THE COURT

Courthouses in the Sixth Judicial District will remain open during regular court business hours.  However, individuals should consider the following prior to entering court facilities:

1.     Over the past two weeks, have you developed flu-like symptoms such as a cough, a fever, or shortness of breath?

2.      Have you traveled outside the U.S. within the last 30 days or a high risk area as identified by the NM Department Health. https://cv.nmhealth.org/travel-recommendations/

3.     Have you been diagnosed with, or in contact with, anyone who has been diagnosed with a COVID-19 infection?

If you answer “yes” to any of these questions and your business with the court is not urgent, you will not be permitted access. If you answer “yes” to any of these questions and you have a scheduled appointment or are otherwise required to appear at one of the courthouses, please contact the appropriate party prior to your scheduled appointment: 

• If you are represented by an attorney, please contact your attorney.
• If you are not represented by an attorney and are required to appear in court, please contact the Judge's chambers to make arrangements to appear telephonically (contact information may be found under the Judges section to the left).
• If you are an attorney and are scheduled to appear in court before a judge, please contact the Judge's chambers to make arrangements to appear telephonically (contact information may be found under the Judges section to the left).
• If you are a juror, please contact the Jury Division (contact information for the respective Court may be found under Court Location, Business Hours & Contact Information section to the left).
• For other Court matters, please contact the Clerk’s Office (contact information for the respective Court may be found under Court Location, Business Hours & Contact Information section to the left).

For the latest information on the Coronavirus, visit the New Mexico Department of Health's website at https://cv.nmhealth.org/ or the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's website at https://www.cdc.gov.

Notice - Emailing and faxing of documents by self-represented litigants and attorneys

In response to the Coronavirus public health emergency, the Sixth Judicial District will be implementing an interim procedure for allowing the filing of documents by email or fax to reduce the requirement of self-represented litigants  and attorneys to enter the courthouse to file documents.  Self-represented litigants and attorneys are permitted to file documents via email or fax in those case types that are not eligible for electronic filing through File and Serve that meet the following criteria:

• Self-represented litigants, attorneys and law enforcement agencies are permitted to file documents via email or fax in pending cases that do not require a filing fee.  If a filing fee is required to open/reopen a case, the pleadings should be mailed via US mail, not emailed, to the respective Court along with the filing fee.
• Self-represented litigants and attorneys are permitted to file a new case or reopen a case that does not require a filing fee by email or fax.
• Attorneys and law enforcement agencies will be allowed to open a new case or reopen a case that does not require a filing fee by email or fax.
• Self-represented litigants are permitted to submit free process applications along with the petition or complaint to the Court either via email or fax.
  • If free process is granted, the filing party will be informed and may proceed to file the remaining documents via email or fax.
  • If free process is not granted, the filing party will be informed and will be required to submit their filings via US mail along with a filing fee in the form of a money order.
• The Court will also accept emails from self-represented litigants as a court pleading if they are not able to attach a document.
• Self-represented litigants and attorneys must provide the following information when emailing or faxing a filing:
  • Name of filer,
  • Email address/fax number,
  • Case caption and case number,
  • Telephone number,
  • Physical address/mailing address,
  • Document for filing.
• Conformed copies will be returned to the sender upon request via email/fax.

Email addresses and fax numbers for the District Courts of the Sixth Judicial District:

Luna County District Court            demdadmin@nmcourts.gov               Fax: 575-543-1605

Grant County District Court           sildadmin@nmcourts.gov                   Fax: 575-388-5439

Hidalgo County District Court        lordadmin@nmcourts.gov                  Fax: 575-542-3481
 

Email addresses and fax numbers for the Magistrate Courts of the Sixth Judicial District:

Luna County Magistrate Court                         demmadmin@nmcourts.gov    Fax: 575-546-4896

Grant County Magistrate Court (Silver City)    silmadmin@nmcourts.gov        Fax: 575-538-8079

Grant County Magistrate Court (Bayard)         baymadmin@nmcourts.gov     Fax: 575-537-7365

Hidalgo County Magistrate Court                     lormadmin@nmcourts.gov      Fax: 575-542-3596

Electronic Filing and Service Available for Criminal Cases!

Effective October 1st, 2019, electronic filing for all District courts will be available through the same File and Serve system used for Civil, Family and Probate eFiling.  Electronic filing for Criminal cases is only available for subsequent filings.

Electronic filing and service will be available for Criminal cases at no charge.  For more information, please see Rule 5-103.2.

Online Dispute Resolution - Solve Debt and Money Due Cases Online!

Online Dispute Resolution is a new, easy-to-use service for resolving debt and money due lawsuits.  The online system offers a convenient alternative to appearing in court by allowing parties to negotiate through private online messages from any location with internet access. 

Learn More