--- title: "Stephen Ochoa | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/stephen-ochoa-district-court-judge-twelfth-judicial-district-court-nm" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Stephen Ochoa Twelfth Judicial District Court · District Court Judge ## Profile - Court: Twelfth Judicial District Court - State: New Mexico - Role: District 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 - He held the role of a Twelfth District assistant prosecutor in Alamogordo from 2015–2017 and managed the Ruidoso public defender’s office beginning in 2017 - Position: District Court Judge, Division I, Twelfth Judicial District Court ### Education - University of New Mexico — B.A. - University of New Mexico — J.D. ### Additional information - District service began July 22, 2023. - The governor’s June 23, 2023 release announced Stephen Ochoa’s appointment to the Twelfth Judicial District and stated that he would be installed July 22, succeeding Steven Blankinship. - It identifies him as originally from Tucson, a Carlsbad High School and University of New Mexico graduate, with UNM law degree and New Mexico bar admission in 2012. ## 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://twelfthdistrict.nmcourts.gov/about-this-district/judges) - [Official roster](https://twelfthdistrict.nmcourts.gov/about-this-district/judges) - [New Mexico Courts official judicial roster](https://twelfthdistrict.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) - [twelfthdistrict.nmcourts.gov](https://twelfthdistrict.nmcourts.gov/about-this-district/judges/) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/stephen-ochoa-district-court-judge-twelfth-judicial-district-court-nm", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/stephen-ochoa-district-court-judge-twelfth-judicial-district-court-nm", "name": "Stephen Ochoa | KnowJudges", "description": "Stephen Ochoa, Twelfth Judicial District Court. 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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.