--- title: "John Robbenhaar | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/john-robbenhaar-new-mexico-us-magistrate" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-08" --- # John Robbenhaar U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico · U.S. Magistrate Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico - State: New Mexico - Role: U.S. Magistrate Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-29 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - John F. Robbenhaar is a United States Magistrate Judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico, appointed on May 1, 2019 and serving until 2027 - Before joining the federal judiciary, Robbenhaar held the role of Assistant Federal Public Defender for the District of New Mexico from 2008 to 2019. ### Education - Trinity College — B.A. ### Additional information - Magistrate, District Court, D. New Mexico, 2019-present - Assistant Federal Public Defender, State of New Mexico, 2008-12–2019-04-30 - Practitioner - J.D. — Univ. of New Mexico - Prior to that, he practiced criminal defense in both state and federal courts in Albuquerque. - He has represented hundreds of individuals accused of federal and state criminal violations - M.A. — Univ. of New Mexico — Latin American Studies - Robbenhaar is a member of the H. Vearle Payne Inn of Court, Albuquerque Bar Association, New Mexico Criminal Defense Lawyer’s Association, and Albuquerque Lawyers Club - He has volunteered with the New Mexico State Bar’s Equal Access to Justice Program, the American Youth Soccer Association, and the Duke City Soccer Club. - He and his family often spend time at Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu ## 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 ### civil remote testimony Scope: courtwide In federal district-court civil proceedings, testimony is ordinarily taken in open court; remote contemporaneous testimony requires good cause in compelling circumstances and appropriate safeguards. Evidence excerpt: For good cause in compelling circumstances and with appropriate safeguards, the court may permit testimony in open court by contemporaneous transmission from a different location. [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### criminal recording and broadcasting Scope: courtwide Federal district courts may not permit courtroom photography or broadcasting during criminal judicial proceedings unless a statute or another federal rule provides an exception. Evidence excerpt: Except as otherwise provided by a statute or these rules, the court must not permit the taking of photographs in the courtroom during judicial proceedings or the broadcasting of judicial proceedings from the courtroom. [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=110) - [Official roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=110) - [U.S. Courts judicial profile or roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=110) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9400/john-robbenhaar/) - [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) - [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9400/john-robbenhaar/) - [BR/MAG Judge Database: John Robbenhaar](https://legaldatalab.law.virginia.edu/brmag-judges/brmag-judges.json) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9400/john-robbenhaar/) - [BR/MAG Judge Database: John Robbenhaar](https://legaldatalab.law.virginia.edu/brmag-judges/brmag-judges.json) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/john-robbenhaar-new-mexico-us-magistrate", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/john-robbenhaar-new-mexico-us-magistrate", "name": "John Robbenhaar | KnowJudges", "description": "John Robbenhaar, U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico. 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Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-civil-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27. - [Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-8721a344fececced2257fe1d) — Criminal proceedings in United States District Courts; this conservative mapping does not distribute appellate-specific provisions to appellate judges. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-criminal-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.