--- title: "Petra Jimenez Maes | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/petra-jimenez-maes-5154" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Petra Jimenez Maes New Mexico Supreme Court · Judge ## Profile - Court: New Mexico Supreme Court - State: New Mexico - Role: Judge - Service status: former - Last verified: 2026-08-22 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Judge, New Mexico Supreme Court, 1998-present - She held the role of chief justice in 2003–2005 and 2012–2014, with her Supreme Court term ending in 2018 - 1998–2018: Associate Justice, New Mexico Supreme Court — appointed November 3, 1998, by Governor Gary Johnson - Chief Justice: Elected by peers in 2003 (served until 2005) and again in 2012 (served until 2014) - 1981–1998: Judge, New Mexico First Judicial District Court in Santa Fe (17 years) - Retired American judge and the first female Hispanic justice and chief justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court - Recognized as a trailblazer who broke barriers in the New Mexico judiciary, promoted diversity, and enhanced public access to justice - The first female Hispanic justice on the New Mexico Supreme Court and the first to serve as its chief justice ### Education - University of New Mexico Law School in — J.D. (1973) - Juris Doctor from the University of New Mexico in 1970 and 1973, respectively - ’s overview additionally gives University of New Mexico degrees — B.A. (1970) ### Additional information - Appointed to the court on November 3, 1998 by then-Republican Governor Gary Johnson "Gary Johnson (New Mexico)"). - An official New Mexico courts release states that Petra Jimenez Maes won election to the Supreme Court in 1998, after 17 years on the First Judicial District Court. - Practitioner, 1997-1997 - J.D. in 1973, and describes her as the court’s first female Hispanic justice - Born October 5, 1947. - Date of birth: 1947-10-05 - Earlier work included private practice and Northern New Mexico Legal Services. - Both her Bachelor of Arts - She maintained strong ties to her New Mexican heritage, supported the arts, and remained active in bar associations after retirement - She was known for a consensus-oriented, collegial leadership style and for modernizing court operations - Birth place: Albuquerque ## 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://www.courtlistener.com/person/5154/petra-jimenez-maes/) - [Official roster](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/5154/petra-jimenez-maes/) - [New Mexico Supreme Court current judicial profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/5154/petra-jimenez-maes/) - [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) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/5154/petra-jimenez-maes/) - [Petra Jimenez Maes - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Petra_Jimenez_Maes) - [Wikidata: Petra Jimenez Maes](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16731808) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/petra-jimenez-maes-5154", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/petra-jimenez-maes-5154", "name": "Petra Jimenez Maes | KnowJudges", "description": "Petra Jimenez Maes, New Mexico Supreme Court. 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