--- title: "Maria Sanchez-Gagne | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/maria-sanchez-gagne-district-court-judge-first-judicial-district-court-nm" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Maria Sanchez-Gagne First Judicial District Court · District Court Judge ## Profile - Court: First 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: Active attorney since 1997, with experience in mediation, arbitration, and administrative law - The New Mexico Secretary of State’s election database lists a Maria E. Sanchez‐Gagne as a candidate and officeholder for Luna County Commissioner, District 3, with multiple election results between 2004 and 2020 - Prosecutor, attorney general staff and water-agency hearing examiner - Current role: District Court Judge, First Judicial District (Division 2) ### Education - Undergraduate degree — University of New Mexico - Law degree — University of Denver ### Additional information - Elected November 2018. - Active attorney licensed in New Mexico, with an admission date of May 5, 1997 - If it is the same person, it would indicate a parallel career in local elected office. - Her professional address is associated with PO Box 2268, Santa Fe, NM, and she is noted as a Spanish‐speaking attorney ## 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://firstdistrict.nmcourts.gov/about-this-district/judges) - [Official roster](https://firstdistrict.nmcourts.gov/about-this-district/judges) - [New Mexico Courts official judicial roster](https://firstdistrict.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) - [nmjpec.org](https://nmjpec.org/en/judge-evaluation?election_id=403&year=2020) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/maria-sanchez-gagne-district-court-judge-first-judicial-district-court-nm", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/maria-sanchez-gagne-district-court-judge-first-judicial-district-court-nm", "name": "Maria Sanchez-Gagne | KnowJudges", "description": "Maria Sanchez-Gagne, First 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.