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New Mexico Supreme Court
The highest court in New Mexico. Who sits on it, how they got there and how long their terms run.
Partisan electionHow justices are chosenVoters elect the justices; candidates' party labels appear on the ballot.
8 yearsTerm length
5Sitting justices
1912Founded
No public decision data available for this court. There is no free, consistently coded source of how each state justice votes in cases, so this site doesn't score state judges.
Justices
Julie Vargas
Chief Justice
Party as listed: Democratic
Took office: January 25, 2021
Appointed by Michelle Lujan Grisham (D)
Photo: Ballotpedia
Shannon Bacon
Justice
Party as listed: Democratic
Took office: February 4, 2019
Appointed by Michelle Lujan Grisham (D)
Photo: Ballotpedia
David K. Thomson
Justice
Party as listed: Democratic
Took office: February 4, 2019
Appointed by Michelle Lujan Grisham (D)
Photo: Ballotpedia
Michael E. Vigil
Justice
Party as listed: Democratic
Took office: December 31, 2018
Appointing official: not listed
Photo: Ballotpedia
Briana H. Zamora
Justice
Party as listed: Democratic
Took office: August 9, 2021
Appointed by Michelle Lujan Grisham (D)
Photo: Ballotpedia
Source: Ballotpedia, New Mexico Supreme Court (retrieved Oct 26, 2026). “Party as listed” is Ballotpedia’s label; many state justices are officially nonpartisan. Photos from each justice’s Ballotpedia page (or Wikimedia Commons where Ballotpedia has none). Click a name for a short profile.