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Sarah Backus
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Sarah Backus was a district court judge in the Eighth Judicial District of New Mexico. She was appointed to the court by Governor Susana Martinez on June 17, 2011, and elected in 2012.[1] She was retained in 2014.[2] Backus retired in February 2019.[3]
Elections
2014
- See also: New Mexico judicial elections, 2014
Backus was retained to the 8th District Court with 79.9 percent of the vote on November 4, 2014.[2]
2012
Backus defeated Ernestina R. Cruz to retain her seat on the New Mexico Second Judicial District Court. After winning the Democratic primary election on June 5, 2012, she was unopposed in the general election.[4][5]
- Main article: New Mexico judicial elections, 2012
Endorsements
- The Taos News: To read the endorsement, see: The Taos News, "The Taos News makes its endorsements," May 25, 2012.
Education
Backus received her J.D. from the University of California - San Francisco Hastings College of the Law in 1984.[1]
Career
Prior to joining the court, Backus served as a prosecutor and public defender. She also served as deputy attorney general, Town of Taos attorney, Town of Taos planning director, and general counsel and director of El Valle de los ranchos Water and Sanitation District.[1]
Noteworthy cases
Backus sets $20,000 bail for each of five defendants accused of child abuse, releases them on signature bond (2018)
On August 13, 2018, Backus set a $20,000 bail for each of five suspects accused of child abuse, releasing them on a signature bond. A signature bond requires a defendant to sign a promise to return to court but trial but does not require a deposit of money with the court. Earlier in the month, law enforcement officials raided a New Mexico compound amid reports of child abuse and neglect, discovering 11 malnourished children and the remains of one boy whose identity remained unknown as of August 13. The 11 children were taken into state custody. Prosecutors alleged that the suspects—Siraj Wahhaj, Hujrah Wahhaj, Subhannah Wahhaj, Lucas Morten, and Jany Leveille—committed child abuse and neglect, including providing the children at the compound with too little food and water. Prosecutors also alleged that the suspects planned to commit violent acts and that Siraj Wahhaj had trained at least one child at the compound to use firearms to conduct school shootings. Prosecutor Timothy Hasson said, "This was not a camping trip and this was not a simple homesteading, the kind that many people do in New Mexico. The evidence as a whole suggests that this family was on a mission. And it was a violent one, and it was a dangerous one." At the hearing at which she set bail, Backus said, "What I've heard here today is troubling, definitely. Troubling facts about numerous children in far from ideal circumstances and individuals who are living in a very unconventional way." However, Backus added that the state had failed to justify holding the suspects without bail: "The state alleges there was a big plan afoot but the state has not shown to my satisfaction by clear and convincing evidence what in fact that plan was. The state wants me to make a leap, and it's a large leap. And that would be to hold people in jail without bond based on -- again -- troubling facts. But I didn't hear any choate plan that was being alleged by the state."[6][7]
See also
- News: Two named to New Mexico 8th Judicial District, June 28, 2012
- Judges appointed by Susana Martinez
- New Mexico District Courts
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Journal North, "Two Taos Attorneys Will Fill Vacant District Judgeships," June 17, 2011
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 New Mexico Secretary of State, "2014 Primary Candidate List"
- ↑ Santa Fe New Mexican, "Taos District Court Judge Sarah Backus to retire," January 8, 2019
- ↑ New Mexico Secretary of State, "2012 Primary Election Results," accessed June 6, 2012
- ↑ New Mexico Secretary of State, "2012 General Election Results"
- ↑ CNN.com, "New Mexico compound suspects were on a violent mission, prosecutors say. But defense sees it differently," August 14, 2018
- ↑ Fox News, "New Mexico compound judge has history of issuing low bail to violent offenders," August 14, 2018
Federal courts:
Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of New Mexico • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of New Mexico
State courts:
New Mexico Supreme Court • New Mexico Court of Appeals • New Mexico District Courts • New Mexico Magistrate Court • New Mexico Municipal Courts • New Mexico Probate Courts • New Mexico Problem-Solving Courts • New Mexico Workers' Compensation Administration Court • Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court
State resources:
Courts in New Mexico • New Mexico judicial elections • Judicial selection in New Mexico
