Have you been contacted by a person claiming to be a court employee who states that you are not in compliance with an order of the court because you missed a court date or did not pay? Keep yourself safe from cyber criminals imitating court telephone numbers (“spoofing”) who demand payment!  Anyone who receives a suspicious phone call should hang up and verify the status of their case using the NMCourts Case Lookup tool.  You can also contact the court directly or call court customer service at: 855-268-7804.  Remember: you can always see a Judge to address your outstanding issues.

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Court Decisions on Pretrial Release and Detention Reform

Stack v. Boyle

The United States Supreme Court ruled in 1951 that bail set high enough to detain a defendant, rather than to assure the defendant’s appearance at trial, violates the Eighth Amendment prohibition of excessive bail.

U.S. v. Salerno

The United States Supreme Court ruled in 1987 that denial of pretrial release does not violate the U.S. Constitution upon sufficient proof that a defendant presents a threat to public safety dangerousness.

State v. Brown

The New Mexico Supreme Court ruled in 2014 that setting a defendant’s bail bond solely on the nature of the charged offense violates the Constitution and rules of criminal procedure.

State v. Romero

The New Mexico Supreme Court ruled in 2007 that money bonds can cannot lawfully be forfeited by a judge for a defendant’s commission of new crimes while out on bail because state statutes do not authorize forfeiture for anything other than failure to appear at court.

State v. Ericksons

The New Mexico Supreme Court ruled in 1987 that a money bond’s lawful purpose is not to protect public safety, but only to provide additional assurance that a released defendant will return to court.

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