--- title: "Catherine Begaye | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/catherine-begaye-district-court-judge-second-judicial-district-court-nm" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Catherine Begaye Second Judicial District Court · District Court Judge ## Profile - Court: Second Judicial District Court - State: New Mexico - Role: District Court Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-26 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Legal Career: Attorney at Begaye Law (2013–present) - Notable Fact: At her appointment, she was New Mexico’s only Native American District Court judge - Location: Juvenile Justice Center, 5100 Second St. NW, Albuquerque, NM ### Education ### Additional information - Catherine A. Begaye joined Division VIII of New Mexico’s Second Judicial District Court Children’s Court in January 2021, appointed by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. - Before judicial service she represented adults and children as a public defender in trial and appellate courts and operated Begaye Law from 2013, with a focus on abuse and neglect matters involving Native families. - She graduated from the University of New Mexico School of Law, and there she was editor-in-chief of the New Mexico Law Review, and was admitted to the New Mexico bar in 2004. - focusing on abuse and neglect cases for Native families Public Defender - representing adults and juveniles in district and appellate courts - Her work concerns juvenile delinquency, abuse and neglect and adoption, and she has held the position of presiding Children’s Court judge. - Her activities include children’s court rules work, judicial training presentations and Casa Q board service. ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### media electronic device coverage Scope: statewide New Mexico Rule 23-107 authorizes broadcasting, televising, photographing, and recording in state court proceedings subject to the rule's guidelines and judicial control. Evidence excerpt: The broadcasting, televising, photographing, and recording of court proceedings in the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, district courts, magistrate courts, and metropolitan courts of the State of New Mexico are hereby authorized in accordance with the guidelines promulgated herewith. [Rule 23-107. Broadcasting, televising, photographing and recording of court proceedings](https://nmcourts.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Rule-23-107-12-20-2018.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### remote proceedings conduct Scope: statewide New Mexico Judiciary remote-proceedings standards treat virtual courtrooms as formal courtroom settings and impose conduct expectations for remote participants. Evidence excerpt: The courtroom, whether a physical in-person courtroom, or a virtual courtroom, remains a formal and serious setting where judges hear matters involving real people that affect real lives. [New Mexico Judiciary Remote Proceedings and Meeting Standards](https://firstdistrict.nmcourts.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2024/04/NEW-MEXICO-JUDICIARY-REMOTE-PROCEEDINGS-AND-MEETING-STANDARDS.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://seconddistrict.nmcourts.gov/about-this-district/judges/judges-directory) - [Official roster](https://seconddistrict.nmcourts.gov/about-this-district/judges/judges-directory) - [New Mexico Courts official judicial roster](https://seconddistrict.nmcourts.gov/about-this-district/judges/judges-directory) - [Rule 23-107. Broadcasting, televising, photographing and recording of court proceedings](https://nmcourts.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Rule-23-107-12-20-2018.pdf) - [New Mexico Judiciary Remote Proceedings and Meeting Standards](https://firstdistrict.nmcourts.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2024/04/NEW-MEXICO-JUDICIARY-REMOTE-PROCEEDINGS-AND-MEETING-STANDARDS.pdf) - [seconddistrict.nmcourts.gov](https://seconddistrict.nmcourts.gov/about-this-district/judges/childrens-court-judges/) - [seconddistrict.nmcourts.gov](https://seconddistrict.nmcourts.gov/about-this-district/judges/judges-directory/) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/catherine-begaye-district-court-judge-second-judicial-district-court-nm", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/catherine-begaye-district-court-judge-second-judicial-district-court-nm", "name": "Catherine Begaye | KnowJudges", "description": "Catherine Begaye, Second Judicial District Court. 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Media coverage exceptions and judicial control apply. Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory. [Official source](https://nmcourts.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Rule-23-107-12-20-2018.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.