Guv could make Supreme Court pick by mid-October

Gov. Bill Richardson could make an appointment to the New Mexico Supreme Court as early as mid-October, a spokesman said today.

By law, the governor has to make the appointment within 30 days of being notified of the recommendations of the judicial nominating commission that met Monday. The notification was probably not made until Tuesday, which would give the governor until Oct. 24 to make the appointment.

“The governor will be carefully considering all the nominees and has 30 days to make the appointment per the Constitution,” spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said, adding that the appointment could come in mid-October.

The commission recommended three judges and four attorneys, including Robert E. Robles, chief judge of the Third Judicial District Court in Doña Ana County. The others are Albuquerque criminal defense attorney Charles W. Daniels, state General Services Secretary Arturo L. Jaramillo, Albuquerque lawyer Edward R. Ricco, Albuquerque lawyer Maureen A. Sanders, Judge Linda M. Vanzi of the Second Judicial District Court in Bernalillo County and Court of Appeals Judge Michael E. Vigil.

The candidates must be interviewed before the governor can make an appointment. Richardson won’t be back in New Mexico until Sunday as he wraps up the third quarter of the year with a strong fundraising push. He plans to spend Monday and part of Tuesday in New Mexico before leaving the state for the rest of the week.

Richardson will be in New Mexico for part of the second week of October, sources confirmed.

The Las Cruces Sun-News explored today the possibility that Lt. Gov. Diane Denish will aid Richardson in the selection process. Denish told the newspaper that, while the governor is still making appointments, she has conducted some of the interviews with recent applicants for state positions in Richardson’s absence.

If the governor doesn’t like his choices, he can ask the commission to reconvene – once – to consider whether to forward the names of any of the other eight applicants for his consideration.

The vacancy was created last month by the death of Justice Pamela B. Minzner.