--- title: "Michael E. Vigil | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-e-vigil-justice-new-mexico-supreme-court-nm" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Michael E. Vigil New Mexico Supreme Court · Justice ## Profile - Court: New Mexico Supreme Court - State: New Mexico - Role: Justice - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-08-22 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - New Mexico Supreme Court Justice – Elected in November 2018, term began January 1, 2019, and runs through December 31, 2030 - Chief Justice – Elected by peers in July 2020; served until April 13, 2022, when succeeded by C. Shannon Bacon - He held the role of Appeals chief judge from 2015 to 2017 and Supreme Court chief justice from July 15, 2020 to April 13, 2022 - First Judicial District Court Judge – Served from 1994 to 2012, involved in developing Drug Court and Treatment Court programs - Michael E. Vigil is identified by the New Mexico Supreme Court as its senior justice ### Education - Georgetown University Law Center - Santa Fe University of Art and Design ### Additional information - The court reports election to the Supreme Court in November 2018 and an oath on December 31, 2018, following fifteen years on the Court of Appeals. - Born May 23, 1951, Santa Fe, New Mexico. - Date of birth: 1951 - Michael Edward Vigil is an American attorney and jurist best known for his service as a justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court and former chief justice - Community law work – As a young lawyer, he represented community organizations, labor unions, and in civil rights cases, including police brutality matters - More than twenty-seven years of legal practice before judicial service. - Birth place: Santa Fe ## 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://supremecourt.nmcourts.gov/about-this-court/supreme-court-justices/) - [Official roster](https://supremecourt.nmcourts.gov/about-this-court/supreme-court-justices/) - [New Mexico Courts official judicial roster](https://supremecourt.nmcourts.gov/about-this-court/supreme-court-justices/) - [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) - [Wikidata: Michael E. Vigil](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q60286883) - [en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_E._Vigil) - [digitalrepository.unm.edu](https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/wphnm/52/) - [Wikidata: Michael E. Vigil](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q60286883) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-e-vigil-justice-new-mexico-supreme-court-nm", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-e-vigil-justice-new-mexico-supreme-court-nm", "name": "Michael E. Vigil | KnowJudges", "description": "Michael E. Vigil, New Mexico Supreme Court. 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