Government of New Mexico | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Polity type | Presidential republic Federated state |
| Constitution | Constitution of New Mexico |
| Legislative branch | |
| Name | Legislature |
| Type | Bicameral |
| Meeting place | New Mexico State Capitol |
| Upper house | |
| Name | Senate |
| Presiding officer | Howie Morales,President |
| Lower house | |
| Name | House of Representatives |
| Presiding officer | Javier Martínez,Speaker |
| Executive branch | |
| Head of state andgovernment | |
| Title | Governor |
| Currently | Michelle Lujan Grisham |
| Appointer | Election |
| Cabinet | |
| Name | Cabinet |
| Leader | Governor |
| Deputy leader | Lieutenant Governor |
| Headquarters | New Mexico State Capitol |
| Judicial branch | |
| Name | Judiciary of New Mexico |
| Courts | Courts of New Mexico |
| Supreme Court | |
| Chief judge | David K. Thomson |
| Seat | New Mexico Supreme Court Building,Santa Fe |
Thegovernment ofNew Mexico is the governmental structure of the state ofNew Mexico as established by theConstitution of New Mexico. The executive is composed of thegovernor, several other statewide elected officials and the governor's cabinet. TheNew Mexico Legislature consists of theHouse of Representatives andSenate. The judiciary is composed of theNew Mexico Supreme Court and lower courts. There is also local government, consisting of county administrations, city governments, and special districts.[1]
The state elected officials are:[2]
TheNew Mexico Governor's Cabinet includes:[3]
TheNew Mexico Legislature is a bicameral body made up of the 70-memberNew Mexico House of Representatives and the 42-memberNew Mexico Senate. The New Mexico Constitution limits the regular session to sixty calendar days, and every other year it is thirty days. Thelieutenant governor presides over the Senate, while the speaker of the House is elected from that body in a closed door majority member caucus. Both have wide latitude in choosing committee membership in their respective houses and have a large impact on lawmaking in the state.
TheNew Mexico Supreme Court is thehighest court. It is primarily an appellate court, only having original jurisdiction in a limited number of actions;criminal cases in which thedeath penalty orlife imprisonment is sought, appeals from theNew Mexico Public Regulation Commission, and cases involving thewrit ofhabeas corpus are reviewed directly by the Supreme Court. The court's five justices are chosen by statewide election, or appointed by the governor if to fill a seat that has become vacant mid-term.
TheNew Mexico Court of Appeals is the intermediate-levelappellate court. The court has generalappellate jurisdiction over the district courts and certain state agencies. Ten judges preside, sitting in panels of three.[4]
TheNew Mexico district courts are courts of general jurisdiction.[4] They hear cases involving: tort, contract, real property rights, estate; exclusive domestic relations, mental health, appeals for administrative agencies and lower courts, miscellaneous civil jurisdiction; misdemeanor; exclusive criminal appeals jurisdiction; and exclusive juvenile jurisdiction.[4] There are thirteen judicial districts.[4]
TheNew Mexico magistrate courts are courts of limited jurisdiction.[4] They hear cases involving: tort, contract, landlord/tenant rights ($0–10,000); felony preliminary hearings; and misdemeanor, DWI/DUI and other traffic violations.[4] There are fifty-four magistrate courts.[4]
TheNew Mexico probate courts are courts of limited jurisdiction and do not hold jury trials.[4] There is one for each of New Mexico's thirty-three counties.[4]
TheNew Mexico municipal courts are courts of limited jurisdiction and do not hold jury trials.[4] They hear cases involving: petty misdemeanors, DWI/DUI, traffic violations and other municipal ordinance violations.[4]
TheBernalillo County Metropolitan Court is a court of limited jurisdiction ofBernalillo County.[4] It hears cases involving: tort, contract, landlord and tenant rights ($0–10,000); felony first appearances; misdemeanor, DWI/DUI, domestic violence, and other traffic violations.[4]
Local government in New Mexico consists ofcounties andmunicipalities. There are thirty-three counties, of whichBernalillo County, containing the state's largest cityAlbuquerque, is the most populous. Counties are usually governed by an elected five-member county commission, sheriff, assessor, clerk and treasurer. A municipality may call itself avillage,town, orcity,[5] and there is no distinction in law and no correlation to any particular form (Mayor-Council, Commission-Manager, etc.). Municipal elections are non-partisan.[6] In addition, limited local authority can be vested in special districts and landowners' associations.
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