--- title: "Joshua J. Sánchez | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/joshua-j-sanchez-chief-judge-bernalillo-county-metropolitan-court-nm" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Joshua J. Sánchez Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court · Chief Judge ## Profile - Court: Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court - State: New Mexico - Role: Chief Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-26 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Chief Judge of the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court in New Mexico, serving a second three‐year term through 2026, and is also a Division IV judge of the court - Joshua J. Sánchez was re‐elected in April 2023 as Chief Judge of the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court, the state’s busiest trial court - Also a Division IV judge of the Metropolitan Court, appointed by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham on March 3, 2021 - Also represented clients under a contract with the Law Offices of the Public Defender - Works with judges, staff, and justice partners to improve processes and enhance access to justice - Heather Benavidez, a municipal and magistrate court judge - He also held the role of a law clerk for the 2nd Judicial District Court in Albuquerque and the 13th Judicial District Court in Los Lunas ### Education - in Political Science; minor in Communications — University of New Mexico — B.A. (2002) ### Additional information - His term as Division IV judge runs until December 31, 2026 - His first chief-judge term began May 15, 2023; re-elected chief in 2026. - Spent nearly fifteen years in private practice handling criminal, juvenile, domestic relations, civil and probate matters. - Graduate of Belen High School - Before joining the bench, Sánchez practiced law for nearly 15 years in private practice and as a contract attorney with the New Mexico Law Offices of the Public Defender - Serves in Division IV and has presided over behavioral health specialty courts. - Division IV judge term: through Dec. - During his UNM law studies, clerked in the Second and Thirteenth Judicial District Courts. ## 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://metro.nmcourts.gov/about-this-court/judges) - [Official roster](https://metro.nmcourts.gov/about-this-court/judges) - [New Mexico Courts official judicial roster](https://metro.nmcourts.gov/about-this-court/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) - [metro.nmcourts.gov](https://metro.nmcourts.gov/about-this-court/judges/) - [metro.nmcourts.gov](https://metro.nmcourts.gov/news/the-honorable-joshua-j-sanchez-elected-chief-judge-of-the-metropolitan-court/) - [metro.nmcourts.gov](https://metro.nmcourts.gov/2026/04/17/the-honorable-joshua-j-sanchez-re-elected-chief-judge-of-the-metropolitan-court/) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/joshua-j-sanchez-chief-judge-bernalillo-county-metropolitan-court-nm", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/joshua-j-sanchez-chief-judge-bernalillo-county-metropolitan-court-nm", "name": "Joshua J. 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