---
title: "Stephan M. Vidmar | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/stephan-m-vidmar-9402"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-10-07"
---

# Stephan M. Vidmar

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: 2026-06-30

## Summary

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

## Biography

### Professional career

- U.S. Magistrate Judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico, appointed in 2011 and serving until 2027, who retired from active service in January 2023
- It details Army captain service from 1974–1979 and later New Mexico civil trial and appellate practice at Miller Stratvert, among them service as president and managing director before his judicial appointment.
- Legal Career: Practiced law in private practice, initially as an associate with Miller Stratvert, PA, later becoming its President and Managing Director

### Education

- It gives a U.S. Military Academy engineering B.S. in 1974 and University of Michigan J.D. in 1982, with Law Reform journal editor-in-chief service.

### Additional information

- Magistrate, District Court, D. New Mexico, 2019-present
- Also appointed in 2019 to a renewable eight‐year term under the court’s appointment process
- ’s overview describes Stephan M. Vidmar as a U.S. magistrate judge first appointed in 2011 and reappointed in 2019.
- Magistrate judges are appointed by the district’s judges to an eight‐year term.
- His practice involved banking, insurance, medical malpractice, real estate and other civil matters.
- He also lectured on litigation and bad faith law at continuing legal education seminars

## 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/9402/stephan-m-vidmar/)
- [Official roster](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9402/stephan-m-vidmar/)
- [U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico current judicial profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9402/stephan-m-vidmar/)
- [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/9402/stephan-m-vidmar/)

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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.
