Former New Mexico Court of Appeals Judge Rudy Apodaca will serve as a district court judge in Las Cruces “at least until the end of the month,” the court’s presiding judge, Robert Robles, confirmed Tuesday.
Apodaca, the brother of former Gov. Jerry Apodaca, will start later this week, Robles said.
The court is strained because Larry Ramirez resigned last week. The embattled judge had been waiting for the New Mexico Supreme Court to rule on a petition for immediate, temporary suspension while the Judicial Standards Commission investigated allegations that he engaged in an ongoing pattern of sexual harassment and making inappropriate comments. He said fighting the allegations would have been too expensive and was negatively affecting his health and family.
In addition, a judicial nominating committee is currently considering applicants for an eighth district judgeship in Las Cruces, but the new judge won’t be selected for a couple of months.
Apodaca was an appeals court judge from 1987 to 2000, and in 2004 authored a popular mystery novel, Pursuit, set mostly in New Mexico.