New Mexico Eighth Judicial District Court, Division I
Background Emilio J. Chavez is a district court judge in Division I of the New Mexico Eighth Judicial District Court and serves as Chief Judge of the entire district. He presides over general jurisdiction cases, including criminal, civil, family, and domestic matters. His primary chambers are in Taos.
Education He earned a B.A. in Economics from Grinnell College and a J.D. from the University of New Mexico School of Law.
Prior Experience Chavez practiced in Washington, D.C., then returned to New Mexico as a prosecutor in the Eighth Judicial District Attorney’s Office. He handled serious and high-profile cases and tried over 150 jury trials as first chair. He later taught economics at UNM-Taos as an adjunct instructor.
In 2017, while still a prosecutor, the New Mexico Supreme Court censured him (along with the district attorney) for subpoena violations in a grand jury matter.
Appointment & Current Role A Democrat, he was appointed to the bench on July 14, 2015, by Governor Susana Martinez.
- In the 2018 Amalia Compound case, he dismissed all charges against three defendants after prosecutors missed the 10-day deadline for an evidentiary hearing. The ruling was mandatory under the law.
- In the 2023 Red River Shooting case, he denied continued pretrial detention, ruling that Bandido gang membership alone was insufficient. The defendant was released pending trial.
- In the 2023 Jeremiah Rael homicide case, he handled contested pretrial detention hearings.
- In the 2025 David Degroat accessory to murder case, he granted the State’s motion for pretrial detention.
- In the 2024 Questa Teen Murder case, he denied a defense motion to dismiss charges with prejudice against a teenager accused of fatally shooting 13-year-old Amber Archuleta.
Election Status He has been retained by voters in subsequent nonpartisan retention elections. His current term expires on December 31, 2026.
Sources / Links:
- Eighth Judicial District Court Judges: https://eighthdistrict.nmcourts.gov/about-this-district/judges/
- Ballotpedia: https://ballotpedia.org/Emilio_Ch%C3%A1vez
- NM JPEC 2020 Evaluation: https://nmjpec.org/judge-evaluation?election_id=447&year=2020
- Taos News (background): https://www.taosnews.com/news/uncontested-chavez-says-becoming-judge-was-natural-progression/article_8bf76c54-f974-56ae-a28e-bf0e8b22d3d7.html
- Supreme Court Censure (pre-bench): https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/state-high-court-censures-taos-da-prosecutor-turned-judge-over-subpoena-violations/article_a1add12a-e0b0-11e5-b720-4390826e3218.html




















































