New rule at First Judicial District Court could speed up criminal cases

New court rules setting tighter deadlines for criminal cases to go into effect in January

The new rules would require the majority of criminal cases in the First Judicial District to move to trial in about 10 months.

New rule at First Judicial District Court could speed up criminal cases

SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – Criminal cases in the First Judicial District Court will soon go to trial quicker. The court, which covers Santa Fe, Los Alamos, and Rio Arriba Counties, will implement a new scheduling rule next year. New Mexico Supreme Court clarifies attorney’s fee cap in worker comp cases Most cases will go to trial within 300 days of a plea being entered, but the simplest cases will be tried within 210 days. Cases considered "u…

NM Supreme Court imposes strict deadlines on criminal cases in Santa Fe area

First Judicial District Court Judge T. Glenn Ellington and Chief Judge Bryan Biedscheid discussed the new case management order with reporters in Biedscheid's courtroom on July 9, 2025. (Photo by Austin Fisher / Source NM)New Mexico’s highest court on Wednesday morning issued a new rule requiring criminal cases in three counties in Northern New Mexico to be resolved more quickly. The rule comes at the request of judges in the First Judicial Dist…

New Rule To Speed Up Resolution Of Criminal Cases In First Judicial District In Los Alamos, Rio Arriba, Santa Fe

COURT News: SANTA FE – A court procedural rule to speed up the resolution of criminal cases in Los Alamos, Rio Arriba and Santa Fe counties will take effect for new cases in the First Judicial District Court starting in January. The implementation date in 2026 provides additional time for courts and judicial partners to prepare for the change. The state Supreme Court issued an order today to establish the case management pilot program, which pro…