The New Mexico Supreme Court issued one opinion from March 6-12. As of March 12, the court issued five opinions in 2023—one more than this point a year ago. The one opinion is below:
- State v. Fernandez, where the court reversed the court of appeals and remanded for a new trial for a defendant charged with battery upon a peace officer. According to the supreme court, the defendant’s prior conviction for battery upon a peace officer should not have been admitted to trial.
From March 6-12, state supreme courts issued 186 opinions nationally. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued the most with 41. The court leads in number of opinions issued because it publishes concurring and dissenting opinions separately, and when deciding whether a case can be appealed, the court logs these decisions as standalone, typically single-page, orders. State supreme courts in 16 states issued the fewest with zero. Courts where judges are elected have issued 120 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 66.
The New Mexico Supreme Court is the state’s court of last resort and has five judgeships. The current chief of the court is Shannon Bacon. The court issued 27 opinions in 2022 and 34 in 2021. Nationally, state supreme courts issued 9,243 opinions in 2022 and 10,133 in 2021. The courts have issued 1,548 opinions in 2023. Courts where judges are elected have issued 985 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 563. New Mexico is a Democratic trifecta, meaning Democrats control the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature.
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