NM Magistrate Judges Earned NJC Professional Certificate in 2013

In 2013, 15 Magistrate Judges in New Mexico earned a Professional Certificate in Special Court Trial Skills from the National Judicial College, reflecting 30 credit hours of NJC judicial education courses.  A total of 28 NM Magistrate Judges have earned the NJC Professional Certificate so far.

The opportunity for this remarkable achievement began in 2008 when the Judicial Education Center initiated a partnership with NJC to bring its courses to New Mexico to supplement JEC's programs.  This arrangement meant that all NM magistrate judges could earn NJC credit hours in-state, thereby greatly expanding the number of judges who could benefit from NJC's courses in a cost-effective manner.  Previously NJC credit could be earned only if JEC provided funding to send judges individually to NJC courses in Reno.

JEC started the in-state NJC partnership to help promote the educational advancement and professional credentials of NM Magistrate Judges.  In doing so, JEC committed to bring NJC courses to NM for at least 6 years to enable the initial group of judges to earn enough credits to complete the certificate program.

With the impressive result of nearly half of NM Magistrate Judges attaining the Professional Certificate, JEC extends its congratulations to the judges and its appreciation to NJC along with the NM Magistrate Judges Association and the NM Administrative Office of the Courts for their cooperation and enthusiasm.

For a list of NM Magistrate Judge certificate recipients, see the NJC Case in Point Magazine at http://issuu.com/njcmag/docs/cip1113 (p. 48 for 2013 recipients) and the NJC website at http://judges.org/certificate/certificate-recipients.html#sccert (previous recipients).