New Mexico Statutes Chapter 34. Court Structure and Administration § 34-2-9. Applicants for license to practice law; criminal history information

A. The supreme court shall require a background investigation of each applicant for admission to the state bar of New Mexico by means of fingerprint checks by the department of public safety and the federal bureau of investigation.

B. The director of the administrative office of the courts shall obtain from the department of public safety and the federal bureau of investigation, at the expense of an applicant for a license to practice law in the state of New Mexico, criminal history information concerning each applicant, using the applicant's fingerprints or other identifying information. The information shall be used only by the supreme court and the board of bar examiners in determining whether to grant the application, and shall not be disseminated to any other person or agency. The information shall be destroyed after the application is granted or denied.