--- title: "Manuel I. Arrieta | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/manuel-i-arrieta-district-court-judge-third-judicial-district-court-nm" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Manuel I. Arrieta Third Judicial District Court · District Court Judge ## Profile - Court: Third 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 - Water Law Judge (2012–present) - State district judge for the Third Judicial District Court of New Mexico, serving Division I in Las Cruces since 2009, with extensive experience in civil litigation and community service - A 2022 UNM account identified him as the district's water judge and New Mexico's participant in the National Judicial College climate-science leadership program - Appointed district judge in 2009 and elected in 2010 - Presiding Judge, Adult Drug Court - His pre-bench career combined insurance-defense and other civil work at southern New Mexico firms with later plaintiff personal-injury practice ### Education - University of Michigan Law School — J.D. (1984) - It details upbringing in the Mesilla Valley, an associate degree in radiologic technology and a business-administration bachelor’s degree with an economics minor at New Mexico State University, completed by 1981, and a University of Michigan J.D. in 1984. - Undergraduate degree — New Mexico State University ### Additional information - Currently listed in Division I. Served as chief judge before Conrad F. Perea succeeded him in April 2023. - Designated Climate Science Judge (2021–present) - Chief Judge (2019–present) - The 2014 judicial evaluation records involvement with Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Young Executives, the Las Cruces Homeless Legal Clinic, voter protection and the New Mexico High School Mock Trial Program. - He clerked at the New Mexico Court of Appeals in 1984–1985. - Earlier roles at Miller, Stratvert & Torgerson, P.A. and The Arrieta Law Firm, P.C - The overview also identifies adult drug-court service, water-law assignments, and climate-science judicial education, along with local legal-aid, mock-trial, and youth-mentoring involvement. - Manuel I. Arrieta serves in Division I of New Mexico’s Third Judicial District Court in Las Cruces. ## 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://thirddistrict.nmcourts.gov/about-this-district/judges) - [Official roster](https://thirddistrict.nmcourts.gov/about-this-district/judges) - [New Mexico Courts official judicial roster](https://thirddistrict.nmcourts.gov/about-this-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) - [thirddistrict.nmcourts.gov](https://thirddistrict.nmcourts.gov/about-this-court-district/jueces/?lang=es) - [nmjpec.org](https://nmjpec.org/en/judge-evaluation?election_id=228&year=2014) - [lawschool.unm.edu](https://lawschool.unm.edu/news/2022/11/new-mexicos-climate-science-judge-visits-unm.html) - [nmcourts.gov](https://nmcourts.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/NM-Judiciary-Annual-Report-2023-DIGITAL-Final-Version-1.pdf) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/manuel-i-arrieta-district-court-judge-third-judicial-district-court-nm", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/manuel-i-arrieta-district-court-judge-third-judicial-district-court-nm", "name": "Manuel I. 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