New Mexico intermediate appellate court elections, 2026
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The term of two New Mexico intermediate appellate court judges will expire on December 31, 2026. The two seats are up for either partisan or retention elections on November 3, 2026. The filing deadline for candidates seeking pre-primary designation was February 3, 2026. Candidates who do not receive the party designation must file by March 10, 2026. The filing deadline for the retention election is June 25, 2026.
Judges with expiring terms
- This is a list of the judges who must stand for partisan election or retention election in 2026 in order to remain on the bench. Judges may choose not to stand for election. The list is subject to change if judges retire or are appointed.
■ J. Miles Hanisee
■ Kristopher Houghton
Candidates and results
Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:
- Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
- Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies
J. Miles Hanisee's seat
There are no official candidates yet for this election.
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
Kristopher Houghton's seat
General election
The primary will occur on June 2, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
Democratic primary election
Special Democratic primary for New Mexico Court of Appeals
Incumbent Kristopher Houghton is running in the special Democratic primary for New Mexico Court of Appeals on June 2, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Kristopher Houghton | |
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Voting information
- See also: Voting in New Mexico
Selection
The 10 judges of the New Mexico Court of Appeals are chosen through partisan elections. After serving for one year, the appointed judge must win the first partisan general election after their appointment to serve the remainder of the unexpired term. Judges serve eight-year terms.[1] To serve additional terms, judges must receive at least 57% of the vote in a retention election.[1]
Qualifications
To serve on the court of appeals, a person must:
- be at least 35 years old;
- have practiced law for ten years before assuming office; and
- have been a New Mexico resident for three years before assuming office.[2]
Chief judge
The chief judge of the court of appeals is selected by peer vote to serve a two-year term.[3]
Vacancies
In the event of a midterm vacancy, the governor appoints a judge from a list of qualified candidates recommended by a judicial nominating commission. The appointed judge will serve until the first general election held one year after their appointment. The appointee must run in that general election to serve the remainder of the unexpired term.[4]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 New Mexico Secretary of State, "Constitution," accessed September 2, 2021 (Article VI Section 33)
- ↑ New Mexico Secretary of State, "Constitution," accessed September 2, 2021 (Article VI Section 28)
- ↑ NMOneSource.com, "Current New Mexico Statutes Annotated 1978," accessed September 2, 2021 (Chapter 34 Article 5)
- ↑ New Mexico Secretary of State, "Constitution," accessed March 29, 2024 (Article VI Section 35)
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
