New Mexico Statutes Annotated

New Mexico Statutes Annotated
Name	New Mexico Statutes Annotated
Jurisdiction	New Mexico
Type	Code compilation
Publisher	West Publishing (historically), State of New Mexico
Subject	Statutory law, codification, legal research

New Mexico Statutes Annotated is the codified compilation of statutory enactments applicable in New Mexico organized by topical titles and sections for use by judges, lawyers, legislators, and researchers. It functions alongside session laws and administrative regulations to implement policies shaped by institutions such as the New Mexico Legislature, the Governor of New Mexico, and state agencies including the New Mexico Department of Transportation and the New Mexico Environment Department. Courts including the New Mexico Supreme Court and the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit regularly cite provisions found in the compilation when resolving disputes arising under statutes such as the New Mexico Tort Claims Act and the New Mexico Criminal Code.

History

The codification effort that produced the compilation grew out of territorial compilations and early state law projects influenced by precedents from the Territory of New Mexico, the United States Congress statutes affecting territorial governance, and earlier compilations published by private firms like West Publishing and publishers linked to the American Law Institute. Revisions responded to landmark events and legislation including reform movements tied to the Progressive Era, state constitutional developments mirrored by the New Mexico Constitution, and later federal-state interactions exemplified by cases before the United States Supreme Court and the Tenth Circuit. Judicial decisions from the New Mexico Court of Appeals, administrative rulings from agencies such as the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission, and legislative enactments from sessions of the New Mexico Legislature all shaped the organization and content during codification milestones.

Structure and Organization

The compilation is organized into numbered titles reflecting substantive areas analogous to codes in other jurisdictions, with headings corresponding to subject areas handled by entities like the New Mexico Department of Health, the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions, and the New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department. Individual sections mirror statutory sections enacted by the New Mexico Legislature and signed by the Governor of New Mexico, with annotations cross-referencing cases from courts such as the New Mexico Supreme Court and decisions from federal tribunals like the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico. Editors incorporate citations to related statutes enacted within sessions overseen by clerks of bodies like the New Mexico House of Representatives and the New Mexico Senate, and to administrative rules promulgated by commissions including the New Mexico State Land Office and the Public Education Department (New Mexico).

Publication and Updating

Print editions historically issued by publishers such as West Publishing and commercial reporters were supplemented by statutory updates, pocket parts, and annual cumulative supplements adopted after sessions of the New Mexico Legislature. Modern updating mechanisms reflect legislative enactments passed during regular sessions, special sessions called by the Governor of New Mexico, and codification projects administered in collaboration with state legal offices including the Office of the Attorney General of New Mexico and legislative services like the Legislative Council Service (New Mexico). Judicial opinions from the New Mexico Supreme Court and the New Mexico Court of Appeals provide interpretive guidance that editors annotate alongside statutory text, while federal decisions from the United States Supreme Court affect preemption and constitutional issues noted in annotations.

Citation and Use in Courts

Courts, litigators, and government attorneys cite sections from the compilation in briefs submitted to tribunals such as the New Mexico Supreme Court, the New Mexico Court of Appeals, and federal courts including the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico. Citators and legal research tools maintained by providers like Westlaw and LexisNexis index annotations and cross-references to landmark cases including those involving the New Mexico Human Rights Act and statutory interpretations under the New Mexico Statutory Construction Act. Judicial opinions often reference annotated notes, historical notes, and legislative history compiled by entities such as the Legislative Finance Committee (New Mexico) when resolving statutory ambiguities or determining legislative intent in matters brought before judges appointed pursuant to processes involving the New Mexico Judicial Nominating Commission.

Access and Availability

The compilation is available in printed volumes in law libraries at institutions like the University of New Mexico School of Law and the New Mexico State Library, and electronically through platforms provided by private vendors including Westlaw and LexisNexis as well as state resources maintained by the New Mexico Compilation Commission. Public access points include courthouses for the New Mexico Supreme Court and county clerks’ offices in counties such as Bernalillo County, New Mexico and Dona Ana County, New Mexico, while university repositories and legal aid organizations like Legal Aid Society of Albuquerque and clinical programs at the University of New Mexico School of Law assist pro se litigants. Libraries and archival collections reference historic printings and revisions preserved by entities like the New Mexico Historical Records Advisory Board.

Relationship to New Mexico Codes and Session Laws

Statutory text in the compilation derives directly from session laws enacted by the New Mexico Legislature and signed into law by the Governor of New Mexico, with session laws published in chronological volumes parallel to the annotated codification; these enactments may affect bodies such as the New Mexico Public Education Department and statutes governing entities like the New Mexico State Police. Codification choices reflect editorial decisions comparable to those in other jurisdictions overseen by bodies such as the Office of the Revisor of Statutes in other states, while the compilation’s annotations incorporate legislative history materials produced by the Legislative Council Service (New Mexico), committee reports, and bill drafts filed by members of the New Mexico House of Representatives and the New Mexico Senate. Courts evaluate both the annotated code and the contemporaneous session laws when construing statutory meaning in litigation before state and federal tribunals including the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.

Category:New Mexico law