Suspended Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge Carlos Garza is vowing to fight to keep his job, but also admitting that he is responsible for some of the trouble in which he finds himself.
Garza appeared tired during an interview broadcast Wednesday evening on ABC-7. He learned earlier in the day that the New Mexico Supreme Court suspended him, with pay, for 90 days while the Judicial Standards Commission investigates serious allegations against him. The court has sealed the file, so the allegations aren’t known publicly and Garza can’t reveal details.
He did, however, tell the station that “they’re not criminal matters, but they’re serious enough that I need to answer to them.”
Garza, a Democrat, surprised me by saying politics isn’t to blame for the allegations against him. That was refreshing, since Garza has blamed politics for past troubles. His newest statement also comes a day after I reported an e-mail from the Democratic Party chair that said the Republican-controlled sheriff’s and district attorney’s offices were “obviously” to blame for “these constant attacks against Democratic elected officials in our Republican-controlled newspapers.”
“I can’t blame what happened here on politics,” Garza told ABC-7. “I am responsible for some of these matters. I don’t think that they rise to the level that they’ve been brought to.”
Garza indicated that he’s been asked to resign, but said he won’t. He also didn’t say who asked.
“I wish to continue being a judge,” he said. “I’ve worked very hard at it, so I will see it through to the end.”
Garza spoke to ABC-7 at the veteran’s park in Mesilla, which he helped create when he was a member of the town’s Board of Trustees. That was intentional, and a sign that he intends to fight. He wants the public to recall his accomplishments, not just the scandal.
You can read ABC-7’s article or watch the video report by clicking here.
Garza is running unopposed for re-election this year. He is currently on judicial probation for improperly involving himself in a drunken driving case against a woman with whom he had a personal relationship.