Clerk of the Second Judicial District Court

What the Clerk of Court Does

The official Second Judicial District overview says the Court Executive Officer, who is the Clerk of Court, is responsible for the non-judicial divisions: civil, criminal, domestic relations, children's court, and programs and support services. The administrative duties include maintaining and securing records, dockets, and evidence, scheduling cases, supporting courtrooms, running juror services, and meeting statutory requirements. In plain terms, the clerk's office is the records and operations engine of the court.

The clerk's office is split by division because the court is large. The Second Judicial District is the largest court of original jurisdiction in New Mexico, with roughly 350 employees. Each division keeps its own filings and answers its own records questions, so a request for a divorce file goes to a different contact than a request for a felony file. The Clerk's Office page lists the division contacts.

Clerk's Office Contacts by Division

Each division of the Second Judicial District answers records and case questions for its own case types. Sending a request to the right division saves days. The main courthouse for all of them is at 400 Lomas Boulevard NW in downtown Albuquerque.

• Domestic Relations Division: 505-841-7421, albdecopydm@nmcourts.gov.
• Domestic Violence filings: 505-841-6737.
• Criminal Division: 505-841-7444 or 505-841-7542.
• Children's Court: 505-841-7366, albdjjc@nmcourts.gov.
• Court Hearing Audio Recordings: 505-841-5421, ssrequests@nmcourts.gov.

Copy and Certification Fees

The clerk's office charges set fees for copies of case records. These come from the official case records request page. The clerk collects filing fees, jury deposits, and copy fees, and the office's policy is that those fees are generally not refundable once paid.

The clerk accepts attorney firm checks, cash, money orders, and certified checks for fees. Filing fees in civil matters are set by law unless a court order waives them. A certified copy carries the clerk's seal and is the version courts and agencies accept as official; a plain copy is fine for personal use.

Records Request Form Fields

The Second Judicial District case records request runs through division-specific forms and email destinations. The office directs requesters to Case Lookup first to identify the documents or recordings they need before submitting a request.

The case records request page links the fillable forms and the online division request forms. SOPA, the Secure Odyssey Public Access system, uses its own File Request Form for registered users.

How to Request a Certified Copy

A certified copy is needed for most legal uses, such as filing in another court, proving a judgment, or completing an agency process. The clerk's office produces certified copies once the request and fee are received.

1. Use Case Lookup to find the case number and the documents you need.
2. Choose the right division for the case type.
3. Complete the case records request form for that division.
4. List the documents and mark certification for each one you need certified.
5. Submit the form to the division email or in person.
6. Pay $0.35 per page plus $1.50 per certified document.
7. Receive the certified copies with the clerk's seal.

Note: Always confirm whether the agency that needs the document wants a certified copy or an exemplified copy, since exemplification costs more and is only required for some out-of-jurisdiction filings.

E-Filing and Case Numbers

The Second Judicial District uses Tyler Technologies for electronic filing. Attorneys and registered filers submit documents through the state e-file system, and the clerk's office processes them into the case record. The e-file guide explains the case-number format and gives the Tyler support contact for filers who run into trouble.

Every case the clerk keeps carries a number in the format D202ZZYYYYXXXXX. The D202 part marks the Second Judicial District Court in Albuquerque. ZZ is the case type, such as CV for civil or CR for criminal. YYYY is the four-digit year, and XXXXX is the sequence number with a leading zero where needed. The court's own example is D202CV201103421. Knowing the format helps when you call a division, because the clerk can pull the file faster from the number than from a name.

Visiting the Clerk's Office

The clerk's public windows are open weekdays, with the civil window running 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. inside the regular 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. office hours. The biggest local rule to know before a visit is the cell phone ban. The Second Judicial District does not allow cell phones in the building, and it does not offer storage for them. Visitors are screened at entry, and prohibited items include weapons, blades, pepper spray, lighters, and metal objects that could be used as weapons.

Plan around that rule if you rely on your phone for a ride, calendar, or digital documents. Bring printed copies of anything you need, and call the division ahead of time at the numbers above to confirm what the clerk needs for your request. For courthouse location and directions, see the Second Judicial District Court page.

Clerk of Court vs County Clerk

Bernalillo County has two different clerks, and people confuse them often. The Clerk of the Second Judicial District Court keeps court case files. The Bernalillo County Clerk is an elected county official who handles recording, elections, marriage licenses, and informal probate clerking. A divorce decree comes from the Clerk of Court. A marriage license comes from the County Clerk.

For recording, marriage, and election records, see the Bernalillo County Clerk page. For searching the court files this office keeps, see Bernalillo County court records and court dockets. For the courts themselves, see the Second Judicial District Court page.