CS/SB 70/a SUPREME COURT JUSTICE SALARIES

Sen Joseph Cervantes

Actions: [1] SCC/SJC/SFC-SCC [2]germane-SJC- DNP-CS/DP-SFC [6] DP/a - PASSED/S (34-5) [9] HJC-HJC [12] DP

Scheduled: Not Scheduled

 Senate Bill 70 (SB 70) requires that supreme court justices receive a salary equal to the salary received by federal magistrate judges and removes the funding formulas for magistrates.  

 Senate Bill 70 (SB 70) requires that the salary of justices of New Mexico Supreme Court be equal to the salary of New Mexico federal magistrate judges.  This salary increase for supreme court justices affects the salaries of the judges of the lower courts (court of appeals, district, and metropolitan) as the salaries for those judges are calculated as a certain percentage of the salary of a justice of the supreme court. 

The bill also removes the salary formula for magistrate judges which is currently a percentage of the salary of metropolitan court judge, and replaces it with the requirement that their salaries will be provided by the legislature.   


 

 Currently, the legislature sets the salary of the supreme court justices, and the salaries for magistrates are determined by using a formula (a certain percentage of salaries of other judges).    

 On February 1, 2024, the Senate Finance Committee amended SJCcs/ SB 70 by removing the entire $6,048,684 appropriation.  

 The Senate Judiciary Committee Substitute for SB 70 (SJCcs/ SB 70) provides that certain judges receive salary increases, removes the salary formulas for magistrates and appropriates $6,048,684 to the Administrative Office of the Court. 

SJCcs/ SB 70 provides that beginning July 1, 2024, supreme court justices will receive an annual salary of $232,600. This salary increase for supreme court justices affects the salaries of the judges of the lower courts (court of appeals, district, and metropolitan) as the salaries for those judges are calculated as a certain percentage of the salary of a justice of the supreme court. 

The bill also removes the salary formula for magistrate judges which is currently a percentage of the salary of metropolitan court judge, and replaces it with the requirement that their salaries will be provided by the legislature.   

SJCcs/ SB 70 appropriates $6,048,684 from the General Fund to the Administrative Office of the Courts for use in Fiscal Year 2024 and subsequent years to fund judicial salaries.  Unspent funds do not revert. 
 

 SB 70 is related to HB 113 , HB 115 and HB 141