---
title: "Phillip G Sapien | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/phillip-g-sapien-new-mexico-us-magistrate"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-10-08"
---

# Phillip G Sapien

U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico · U.S. Magistrate Judge

## Profile

- Court: U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico
- State: New Mexico
- Role: U.S. Magistrate Judge
- Service status: active
- Last verified: 2026-07-29

## Summary

Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge.

## Biography

### Professional career

- Public Service: held the role of a Criminal Justice Act (CJA) panel attorney since 1999
- ’s expanded overview describes Phillip G. Sapien as a part-time U.S. magistrate judge in the District of New Mexico, appointed in March 2026 for a four-year term
- On March 6, 2026, the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico appointed Phillip G. Sapien as Part‐Time U.S. Magistrate Judge for a four‐year term, based in Farmington, NM
- Phillip G. Sapien is a part‐time United States Magistrate Judge for the District of New Mexico, appointed in March 2026 for a four‐year term in Farmington, NM, with over 30 years of trial and public service experience
- Began with the New Mexico Public Defender’s Office in 1992 and moved into private practice in 1996
- Selected from a pool of applicants by a Magistrate Judge Merit Selection Panel, with final approval by the district’s U.S. District Judges District of New Mexico

### Education

- It gives a University of New Mexico B.A. in 1988 and University of Arizona J.D. in 1991.

### Additional information

- It details CJA panel service since 1999, New Mexico Hispanic Bar Association presidency in 2003–2005, and criminal-defense association and professionalism-commission service.
- handling criminal defense, personal injury and wrongful-death litigation.
- handling hundreds of appointed cases, including complex multi‐defendant trials

## 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

### civil remote testimony

Scope: courtwide

In federal district-court civil proceedings, testimony is ordinarily taken in open court; remote contemporaneous testimony requires good cause in compelling circumstances and appropriate safeguards.

Evidence excerpt: For good cause in compelling circumstances and with appropriate safeguards, the court may permit testimony in open court by contemporaneous transmission from a different location.

[Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure)
Source checked: 2026-07-26

### criminal recording and broadcasting

Scope: courtwide

Federal district courts may not permit courtroom photography or broadcasting during criminal judicial proceedings unless a statute or another federal rule provides an exception.

Evidence excerpt: Except as otherwise provided by a statute or these rules, the court must not permit the taking of photographs in the courtroom during judicial proceedings or the broadcasting of judicial proceedings from the courtroom.

[Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts)
Source checked: 2026-07-26


## Sources

- [Official profile](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=111)
- [Official roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=111)
- [U.S. Courts judicial profile or roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=111)
- [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure)
- [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts)

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## Published courtroom rules

### Shared court rules

- [Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-651872d6e45e0d82319ecccc) — Civil actions in United States District Courts; Rule 81 exceptions apply. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-civil-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.
- [Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-8721a344fececced2257fe1d) — Criminal proceedings in United States District Courts; this conservative mapping does not distribute appellate-specific provisions to appellate judges. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-criminal-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.