Matter of Martinez

656 P.2d 861, 99 N.M. 198, 1982 N.M. LEXIS 3102
CourtNew Mexico Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 29, 1982
Docket14237
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 656 P.2d 861 (Matter of Martinez) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Mexico Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Matter of Martinez, 656 P.2d 861, 99 N.M. 198, 1982 N.M. LEXIS 3102 (N.M. 1982).

Opinions

OPINION

EASLEY, Chief Justice.

Numerous complaints of judicial misconduct were made to the New Mexico Judicial Standards Commission regarding Fourth Judicial District Judge Donaldo A. Martinez. After an investigation and an extensive hearing, the Commission filed its recommendation in this Court that Judge Martinez be permanently removed from office for willful misconduct. We affirm the decision of the Commission that Judge Martinez is guilty of willful misconduct in office, but assess the penalty at temporary suspension.

The principal issues are whether it was willful misconduct in office:

(a) for Judge Martinez knowingly to countermand Judge Angel’s orders for two prisoners to be immediately transported to the state penitentiary;

(b) for Judge Martinez to order that the district attorney, who is also the children’s court attorney by statute, be denied the right to perform his duties in children’s court cases;

(c) for Judge Martinez to issue a temporary restraining order on motion of his son when the motion did not comply with the rules, no notice was given to the opposite parties, and no hearing was held.

Other issues raised by the Judge will be treated summarily.

It bears emphasizing that when the Commission filed its report and recommendations in this Court, it dropped, because of failure of proof, many charges against Judge Martinez that had been highly publicized. As to one other charge involving Esteban Martinez’s practicing before his father, the Commission admitted on oral argument that this charge, by itself, would not constitute willful misconduct.

This Court is strictly confined to the-charges made in the “Report to New Mexico Supreme Court” filed by the Commission and to charges of willful misconduct. The issues are very limited and very narrow, and the evidence produced as to each dis-positive issue is clear and convincing. However, the charges before this Court are a small fraction of those that were originally made.

The Judicial Standards Commission investigated the charges against Judge Martinez, held a hearing, and made its recommendations to this Court under the authority of article VI, section 32 of the New Mexico Constitution, which provides that any judge may be disciplined or removed from office “for willful misconduct in office.”

The Commission found and concluded that Judge Martinez was guilty of willful misconduct in office in that he countermanded orders of Judge Angel, he banned the children’s court attorney from performing his statutory duties, he permitted his son to practice before him without complying with the rules, and he signed a temporary restraining order for his son, which was beyond his authority to do.

Judge Martinez contests the charges and the recommendation of the Commission that he be removed from office.

(a) Countermanding Judge Angel’s Orders.

The Fourth Judicial District is served by two district court judges, Presiding Judge Joe Angel and Judge Martinez.

Lorenzo Flores and David Lopez (the defendants) were convicted of conspiracy and aggravated assault and battery on a Las Vegas police officer after trial by jury before District Judge Joe Angel. Judge Angel sentenced Flores and Lopez to confinement in the New Mexico State Penitentiary for terms of eight and six years respectively. These convictions were appealed to the New Mexico Court of Appeals where they were affirmed. This Court subsequently denied a petition for writ of certiorari on July 27, 1981. On July 28, 1981, the mandate of the Court of Appeals was issued directing the clerk of the District Court of the Fourth Judicial District “to issue any commitment necessary for the execution of Judgment and Sentence ....”

The defendants Lopez and Flores were free on bond pending the outcome of their appeal. Junio Lopez, the father of one of the defendants, and a former Mayor of Las Vegas, State Senator, and long-time acquaintance of Judge Martinez, was the surety for both defendants on appeal bonds in the amount of $10,000.00 each.

Prior to the issuance of the mandate, Judge Martinez’s son, Esteban Martinez, filed a motion for new trial in district court on behalf of Flores and Lopez, alleging the discovery of new evidence. This motion was filed on July 22, 1981.

Judge Angel instructed the office of the district attorney to advise him immediately upon the issuance of the mandate so that he could take steps to ensure the defendants would be confined under his previous judgment and sentence. On July 28, 1981, Judge Angel was informed that the Court of Appeals had issued the mandate, and on July 29, 1981, he caused warrants to be issued for the arrest and confinement of the defendants pending transportation to the penitentiary. He also ordered the clerk to issue commitment orders to the sheriff to take the defendants and deliver them to the penitentiary as soon as the clerk of the court received the mandate.

Lopez was arrested on the evening of July 29,1981, and Flores surrendered to the sheriff of San Miguel County on July 30, 1981, some time during the morning hours.

On July 30, 1981, Judge Angel had travelled to Taos, New Mexico, where he was presiding in a case by designation of this Court.

The clerk of the district court received the mandate in the mail on July 30, 1981, and filed it at 9:55 a.m. The clerk issued commitment orders to the sheriff to transport Flores and Lopez to the penitentiary.

On the morning of July 30, 1981, a large number of relatives and friends of the defendants, including Junio Lopez and Esteban Martinez, congregated in the hallway of the second floor of the San Miguel County Courthouse in the vicinity of Judge Martinez’s office. Judge Martinez informed Junio Lopez that he could not act on any motion or petition presented by Esteban Martinez because of their relationship. Joe Ulibarri, who shares offices with Esteban Martinez, presented a petition for writ of habeas corpus to Judge Martinez to delay the transfer of the defendants.

Judge Martinez examined the court file, which indicated (1) the defendants’ conviction; (2) the affirmance of the conviction; (3) the mandate commanding the district court to issue a commitment; (4) that the motion for new trial had not been served on the district attorney; (5) no motion for release on bond pending disposition of the motion for new trial had been filed; (6) the commitment orders had been issued as required by the mandate; and (7) no motion to abate the commitment orders had been filed by the defendants.

Judge Martinez and Ulibarri discussed the possibility of delaying the transfer, and Judge Martinez advised Ulibarri where he could find forms in the Judge’s former offices to aid in the preparation of a petition for writ of habeas corpus.

The sheriff was removing the defendants from the courthouse when he was stopped by Judge Martinez on the second floor. The Judge directed the sheriff to return the defendants to the jail on the third floor of the courthouse. Thereafter, Judge Martinez prepared and issued an order delaying the transportation of the defendants to the penitentiary.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
656 P.2d 861, 99 N.M. 198, 1982 N.M. LEXIS 3102, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/matter-of-martinez-nm-1982.