New Mexico Statutes Chapter 35. Magistrate and Municipal Courts § 35-2-1. Qualification; personal qualifications

A. Each magistrate shall be a qualified elector of, and reside in, the magistrate district for which the magistrate is elected or appointed.

B. No person is eligible for election or appointment to the office of magistrate unless the person has graduated from high school or has attained the equivalent of a high school education as indicated by possession of a high school equivalency credential issued by the public education department based upon the record made on the high school equivalency credential test.

C. In magistrate districts with a population of more than two hundred thousand persons in the last federal decennial census, no person is eligible for election to the office of magistrate unless the person:

D. In magistrate districts with a population of more than two hundred thousand persons in the last federal decennial census, no person is eligible for appointment to the office of magistrate unless the person is a member of the bar of this state and licensed to practice law in this state.

E. A person holding the office of magistrate shall not engage in the private practice of law during tenure in office.