--- title: "Dustin K. Hunter | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/dustin-k-hunter-district-court-judge-fifth-judicial-district-court-nm" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Dustin K. Hunter Fifth Judicial District Court · District Court Judge ## Profile - Court: Fifth 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 - Judge of the 5th Judicial District Court of New Mexico, serving in Division X (Chaves County) since his 2016 appointment by Governor Susana Martinez ### Education - The cited overview lists a political science and government bachelor’s degree from Cameron University in 1995 and a J.D. from Texas Tech University in 1998. - Undergraduate degree — Cameron University ### Additional information - Appointed May 2016; elected November 2016. - Dustin K. Hunter joined New Mexico’s Fifth Judicial District Court in 2016, following appointment by Governor Susana Martinez to fill the vacancy left by Steven L. Bell. - Before joining the judiciary, he operated Kraft & Hunter in Roswell from 2004 to 2016, practicing family law, bankruptcy, personal injury and criminal defense. - It records Texas bar admission in 1998 and New Mexico admission in 2005, and membership in the Chaves County Bar Association. - Before joining the bench, Hunter was owner of Kraft & Hunter, LLP in Roswell, New Mexico, where he handled family law, bankruptcy, personal injury, and criminal defense cases He also had prior legal experience in insurance, criminal and civil defense, and juvenile and family law - Hunter’s judicial tenure includes both appointment and retention elections, reflecting New Mexico’s system for local trial court judges. - His listed assignment is Division X, based in Roswell, within the district serving Chaves, Eddy and Lea counties. ## 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://fifthdistrict.nmcourts.gov/about-this-district/judges/district-judges) - [Official roster](https://fifthdistrict.nmcourts.gov/about-this-district/judges/district-judges) - [New Mexico Courts official judicial roster](https://fifthdistrict.nmcourts.gov/about-this-district/judges/district-judges) - [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) - [nmjpec.org](https://nmjpec.org/en/judge-evaluation?election_id=435&year=2020) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/dustin-k-hunter-district-court-judge-fifth-judicial-district-court-nm", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/dustin-k-hunter-district-court-judge-fifth-judicial-district-court-nm", "name": "Dustin K. Hunter | KnowJudges", "description": "Dustin K. Hunter, Fifth Judicial District Court. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-10-07", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/dustin-k-hunter-district-court-judge-fifth-judicial-district-court-nm#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/dustin-k-hunter-district-court-judge-fifth-judicial-district-court-nm#judge", "name": "Dustin K. Hunter", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/dustin-k-hunter-district-court-judge-fifth-judicial-district-court-nm", "jobTitle": "District Court Judge", "worksFor": { "@type": "GovernmentOrganization", "name": "Fifth Judicial District Court" }, "sameAs": [ "https://fifthdistrict.nmcourts.gov/about-this-district/judges/district-judges" ], "alumniOf": [ { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Cameron University" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Texas Tech University" } ] }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "KnowJudges", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "New Mexico", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/state/new-mexico" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Dustin K. Hunter", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/dustin-k-hunter-district-court-judge-fifth-judicial-district-court-nm" } ] } ] } ``` ## Published courtroom rules ### Shared court rules - [New Mexico Rule 23-107 — media coverage](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-16ed52dd2958e6571bf2469d) — 2018 dated rule; not extended to Municipal Courts. 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.