GRANTS, N.M. — Cibola County Magistrate Judge Johnny Valdez has been re-elected to the board of the New Mexico Magistrate Judges Association.
At its annual conference last month, the association also elected its officers for one-year terms and announced a $3,850 relief effort—$2,000 from the association and $1,850 from individual judges— to purchase household supplies for Ruidoso residents affected by recent flooding. New Mexico’s 67 magistrate judges handle misdemeanors, DWI and traffic cases, civil disputes up to $10,000, and preliminary felony hearings; nearly 155,000 cases were filed statewide in FY2025.
Lea County Magistrate Judge Clipper Miller in Hobbs was re-elected vice president, and Quay County Magistrate Judge Noreen Hendrickson in Tucumcari will continue as the association’s secretary- treasurer.
Newly elected board members are: Otero County Magistrate Judges Richard Greene and John Secrest and Los Alamos County Magistrate Judge Catherine Taylor.
“My congratulations to the association’s officers and board members,” said Chief Justice David K. Thomson. “Magistrate courts deliver essential justice services to New Mexicans. For good reason magistrate courts are often referred to as the people’s court because of the large number of cases they handle each year, which brings them into contact with thousands of people across the state.”
Valdez will continue representing Cibola County on the board.