A. The name of the metropolitan court in the Bernalillo metropolitan district shall be the "Bernalillo county metropolitan court".

B. The metropolitan court is an agency of the judicial department of state government. Personnel of the metropolitan court are subject to all laws and regulations applicable to state officers and agencies and state officers and employees, except where otherwise specifically provided by law.

C. There shall be nineteen judges of the Bernalillo county metropolitan court.

History: Laws 1979, ch. 346, § 8; 1980, ch. 142, § 6; 1981, ch. 308, § 1; 1983, ch. 70, § 1; 1988, ch. 115, § 2; 1990, ch. 114, § 2; 1997, ch. 180, § 4; 2005, ch. 284, § 5; 2006, ch. 99, § 6.

The 2006 amendment, effective July 1, 2006, changed "eighteen" to "nineteen".

Temporary provisions. — Laws 2006, ch. 99, § 7, effective July 1, 2006, provided that additional judgeships shall be filled by appointment by the governor pursuant to the provisions of Article 6 of the constitution of New Mexico.

The 2005 amendment, effective July 1, 2005, added Subsection C to provide that there shall be eighteen judges of the Bernalillo county metropolitan court.

The 1997 amendment would have increased the metropolitan court judges from fifteen to eighteen, however, it was vetoed by the governor on April 17, 1997. As vetoed by the governor, Subsection C would have read: "There shall be eighteen judges of the Bernalillo county metropolitan court."

The 1990 amendment, effective January 1, 1991, substituted "fifteen judges" for "twelve judges" in Subsection C.