A state court of last resort / Established 1925

New Mexico Supreme Court

Santa Fe · A court of last resort in New Mexico.

The New Mexico Supreme Court is the highest court in New Mexico. Its justices are chosen by partisan election. This page lists every justice to serve on the court, current and former, with when they joined the bench and whom they succeeded.

46
Justices in history
4
Currently serving
Partisan
Selection
8-yr
Term
Current justices
Former justices
JusticeYears
Daniel A. McKinnon III1997–1998
Patricio M. Serna1996–2012
Pamela B. Minzner1994–2007
Stanley F. Frost1991–1996
Gene Edward Franchini1990–2002
Joseph Francis Baca1989–2002
Charles B. Larrabee1989–1989
Seth D. Montgomery1989–1994
Kenneth B. Wilson1989–1990
Richard E. Ransom1987–1997
Tony Scarborough1987–1989
Mary Coon Walters1984–1988
Harry E. Stowers Jr.1982–1989
William F. Riordan1981–1986
Edwin L. Felter1979–1980
William R. Federici1977–1986
H Vern Payne1977–1983
Mack Easley1976–1982
Dan Sosa Jr.1975–1991
Joe L. Martinez1973–1975
John B. McManus Jr.1971–1979
Samuel Z. Montoya1971–1976
LaFel Earl Oman1971–1977
Donnan Stephenson1971–1977
Thomas F. McKenna1970–1970
Daniel A. Sisk1970–1970
John T. Watson1969–1970
Paul Tackett1968–1971
David Chavez Jr.1960–1968
Merrill Emmett Noble1960–1969
David W. Carmody1959–1969
Irwin S. Moise1959–1970
W Morris Shillinglaw1958–1958
Henry A. Kiker1954–1958
Augustus T. Seymour1953–1954
Henry George Coors1951–1953
James C. Compton1947–1972
James Bliss McGhee1947–1960
Eugene D. Lujan1945–1959
Charles Rufus Brice1935–1950
Daniel K. Sadler1931–1959
Howard Lee Bickley1925–1947

How a justice reaches this court. Justices of the New Mexico Supreme Court are chosen in partisan elections to 8-year terms and then face yes-or-no retention elections. New Mexico uses a hybrid system: an interim vacancy is filled by gubernatorial appointment from a nominating-commission list, the appointee must then win the next partisan election for a full term, and incumbents thereafter face yes-or-no retention elections. Selection methods vary by jurisdiction and have changed over time; this page reflects the court’s current method (source: National Center for State Courts). Open any justice to see their tenure and whom they succeeded.

Source: CourtListener / Free Law Project; selection method from the National Center for State Courts. Data last verified 2026-06-30. Verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).