---
title: "Sara Blankenhorn | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sara-blankenhorn-district-court-judge-eighth-judicial-district-court-nm"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-10-07"
---

# Sara Blankenhorn

New Mexico Magistrate Court, Taos County - I & II · Magistrate Court Judge

## Profile

- Court: New Mexico Magistrate Court, Taos County - I & II
- State: New Mexico
- Role: Magistrate 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

- ’s overview identifies Sara A. Blankenhorn as a Taos County magistrate judge in Division II, appointed in 2020 and elected again in 2022
- Sara A. Blankenhorn is a Democratic judge serving in Department II of the Taos County Magistrate Court in New Mexico, appointed in March 2020 and re‐elected in 2022

### Education

- It gives a University of Washington philosophy B.A. in 2004, St. John’s College M.A. in classical Western literature and philosophy in 2008, and University of New Mexico J.D. in 2011.
- St. John’s College, Santa Fe — M.A.

### Additional information

- Earlier listed work includes Natelson Law Firm, Community Against Violence, and student roles with public defenders, prosecutors and New Mexico Legal Aid.
- Public docket records show Judge Blankenhorn presiding over multiple pretrial hearings and arraignments in Taos County Magistrate Court, including cases such as State of New Mexico v.
- It also lists service through AmeriCorps and Rocky Mountain Youth Corps.

## 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://eighthdistrict.nmcourts.gov/about-this-district/judges)
- [Official roster](https://eighthdistrict.nmcourts.gov/about-this-district/judges)
- [New Mexico Courts official judicial roster](https://eighthdistrict.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)
- [eighthdistrict.nmcourts.gov](https://eighthdistrict.nmcourts.gov/about-this-district/judges/)

## JSON-LD

```json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@graph": [
    {
      "@type": "WebPage",
      "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sara-blankenhorn-district-court-judge-eighth-judicial-district-court-nm",
      "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sara-blankenhorn-district-court-judge-eighth-judicial-district-court-nm",
      "name": "Sara Blankenhorn | KnowJudges",
      "description": "Sara Blankenhorn, New Mexico Magistrate Court, Taos County - I & II. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.",
      "dateModified": "2026-10-07",
      "isPartOf": {
        "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website"
      },
      "mainEntity": {
        "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sara-blankenhorn-district-court-judge-eighth-judicial-district-court-nm#judge"
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Person",
      "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sara-blankenhorn-district-court-judge-eighth-judicial-district-court-nm#judge",
      "name": "Sara Blankenhorn",
      "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sara-blankenhorn-district-court-judge-eighth-judicial-district-court-nm",
      "jobTitle": "Magistrate Court Judge",
      "worksFor": {
        "@type": "GovernmentOrganization",
        "name": "New Mexico Magistrate Court, Taos County - I & II"
      },
      "sameAs": [
        "https://eighthdistrict.nmcourts.gov/about-this-district/judges"
      ],
      "alumniOf": [
        {
          "@type": "EducationalOrganization",
          "name": "University of Washington"
        },
        {
          "@type": "EducationalOrganization",
          "name": "St. John’s College, Santa Fe"
        },
        {
          "@type": "EducationalOrganization",
          "name": "University of New Mexico"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
      "itemListElement": [
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 1,
          "name": "KnowJudges",
          "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 2,
          "name": "New Mexico",
          "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/state/new-mexico"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 3,
          "name": "Sara Blankenhorn",
          "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sara-blankenhorn-district-court-judge-eighth-judicial-district-court-nm"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}
```


## Published courtroom rules

### Shared court rules

- [New Mexico Rule 23-107 — media coverage](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-16ed52dd2958e6571bf2469d) — 2018 dated rule; not extended to Municipal Courts. 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.
