Chief Justice Urges New Mexico Schools to Join Rule of Law Program

Chief Justice David K. Thomson used an op-ed posted Feb. 28, 2026 on the New Mexico Courts website to urge New Mexico middle schools, high schools and colleges to participate in the Supreme Court’s Rule of Law Program, writing that bringing the courts to students helps “expand access to civics education and empower our youth to understand, and therefore value and uphold the principles of fairness and equality.”

The Rule of Law Program, launched in 2021 and now entering its sixth year, brings appellate oral arguments to school and college campuses so students can observe how New Mexico’s highest court interprets laws. Program materials state plainly: “The Rule of Law Program is a civics education initiative of the New Mexico Supreme Court that gives students the opportunity to see the judicial system in action,” and that “Students observe real appellate court proceedings and connect classroom civics learning to how courts protect rights, interpret laws, and uphold democracy.”

The court has invited schools to observe a criminal oral argument scheduled for April 1 at Eastern New Mexico University in Portales, with options for in-person attendance and remote viewing by livestream. The Supreme Court Law Library prepares background materials about the case, and the program offers lesson plans, classroom toolkits, a legal glossary, discussion guides and program updates to help teachers prepare students for courtroom observation.

Schools seeking to participate or requesting accessibility or language supports are asked to contact program coordinator Tamara Mitchell at suptdm@nmcourts.gov; media or follow-up inquiries may be directed to Barry Massey, public information officer for the Administrative Office of the Courts, at bmassey@nmcourts.gov or 505-470-3436. The program page also notes a scan option to access case materials and toolkits for classroom use.

The Rule of Law Program sits alongside wider judicial outreach across New Mexico. Senior Justice Michael Vigil told KOAT that “It's important for people of all ages to learn about civics. To learn about their government, how the government works, how it's supposed to work, and it's important to get them started at a young age,” and local coverage highlights visits by Supreme Court justices and local judges to elementary schools and Constitution Day events to connect younger students to the Constitution.

Background remarks from an Administrative Office of the Courts release in May 2024 underscore the court’s civic mission: Justice C. Shannon Bacon urged law graduates to “engage in the law of people” and promoted “servant leadership,” noting that “more than 380,000 New Mexicans live below poverty guidelines” and that “more than 3,000 people in Albuquerque lack housing.” Bacon’s release also records her appointment to the Supreme Court in 2019 and election in 2020 after nearly nine years on the Second Judicial District Court.

As the program marks its sixth year during the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the court frames the initiative as an effort to connect classroom civics to real-world proceedings and to expand civic access across New Mexico schools.