Pete Domenici: “I introduce legislation that continues my efforts to address a significant problem in the state of New Mexico, a problem…”

“I introduce legislation that continues my efforts to address a significant problem in the state of New Mexico, a problem that the Judicial Conference of the United States has previously described as a "crisis." According to the latest survey by the Judicial Conference, the weighted caseload for the District of New Mexico is now the fourth highest in the Nation. This is in spite of the fact that in 2002 Congress approved a temporary judgeship for New Mexico which the President has filled. Based on this heavy workload, the Judicial Conference recently recommended 2 additional permanent judgeships, as well as an additional temporary judgeship for New Mexico; Only 2 districts in California, one in Florida, and one in New York were recommended to get more judgeships than New Mexico. The legislation I have introduced today reflects this recommendation. In the 12-month period ending on June 30, 2002, the number of criminal filings per judgeship increased from 222 to 320. This is compared to the national average of 81. You don't have to be a mathematical genius to figure out that this is just short of four times the national average. During this same time period, the number of weighted filings increased from 673 per judgeship to 739. The national average is 504 and the Judicial Conference has set the benchmark at 430 weighted cases per judgeship. The District of New Mexico is clearly in need of relief from this crisis.”