Chief justice sworn into Supreme Court

Justice C. Shannon Bacon was sworn in last week as chief justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court.

She was elected to the post by her colleagues on the five-member court and will serve a term through April 2024.

She succeeds Justice Michael Vigil, who had been chief justice since 2020.

The chief justice performs court and administrative duties. In addition to presiding over New Mexico Supreme Court hearings and conferences, the chief justice serves as the administrative authority over personnel, budgets and general operations of all state courts and acts as an advocate for the judiciary on legislative, budget and other matters.

Bacon was appointed to the state’s Supreme Court in 2019 and won election in 2020. Before joining the court, she served as a judge on the 2nd Judicial District Court for nearly nine years and was the presiding civil judge.

Bacon also leads the judiciary’s efforts regarding access to justice, guardianship and conservatorship reform, eviction and foreclosure programs and equity and justice reform.