News: Professor Rankin to serve on New Mexico Supreme Court Committee on Artificial Intelligence and Courts.
November 14, 2025
New Mexico Supreme Court Establishes Permanent Committee to Guide AI Integration in Justice System
SANTA FE, NM – August 15, 2025 – The New Mexico Supreme Court today established the state’s first permanent standing Committee on Artificial Intelligence and the Courts, marking a historic commitment to responsibly navigating the transformative impact of AI technologies on the legal system. In a unanimous order signed by all five justices—Chief Justice David K. Thomson, Justice Michael E. Vigil, Justice C. Shannon Bacon, Justice Julie J. Vargas, and Justice Briana H. Zamora—the Court recognized both the “unprecedented opportunities and challenges” that AI presents to the administration of justice. A Proactive Approach to Emerging Technology.
The establishment of the committee reflects New Mexico’s proactive stance on addressing how artificial intelligence will reshape legal practice, court operations, and judicial decisionmaking. While AI technologies promise to streamline workflows, enhance legal research, and improve access to justice, the Court emphasized the critical importance of approaching integration “in an organized manner, considering ethical issues, proper handling of confidential information, understanding of possible biases, and the proper use of new technologies.”
Committee Mandate and Authority
The Committee on Artificial Intelligence and the Courts has been tasked with five primary responsibilities:
Advisory Role: Provide guidance to the New Mexico Supreme Court, New Mexico Judicial Council, and State Bar on implementing, evaluating, and ethically deploying AI technologies within both the judiciary and legal practice.
Collaborative Platform: Bring together AI technology experts, legal professionals, technologists, and stakeholders to facilitate informed dialogue and decision-making.
Efficiency Guidelines: Recommend AI solutions that enhance business processes, improve operational effectiveness, and expand access to justice.
Ethical Safeguards: Develop guidelines and best practices ensuring responsible AI use while mitigating potential biases and upholding fundamental principles of fairness and justice.
Rules and Standards: Create necessary rules and procedures governing AI use by judicial officers, legal practitioners, and court employees, including recommending specific authorized technologies for standardized implementation.
Leadership and Membership
The committee will be co-chaired by Judge Jane Levy of the Second Judicial District Court and Chief Judge Jarod Hofacket of the Sixth Judicial District Court, both serving through December 31, 2028. Fourteen additional members represent a diverse cross-section of New Mexico’s legal community, including: - Judge Katherine Wray from the Court of Appeals - Magistrate Judge Rosenda Chavez - Private practitioners Kate Ferlic and Sherry Booth - District Attorney Jason Greenlee - Public Defender representation - State Bar representatives Andrea Salazar and Connie Flores - Legislative members Representatives Andrea Reeb and Dayan Hochman-Vigil - Professor Sonia Gipson Rankin from UNM School of Law, who also serves as Co-Convener of the Trustworthy AI Grand Challenge - Disciplinary Board representative Anne Taylor - Judicial Standards Commission representative Kevin Dixon - Justice C. Shannon Bacon serving in an Access to Justice capacity.
The Administrative Office of the Courts will staff the committee, which will submit annual reports and recommendations. Given the rapid pace of AI development, the committee is also authorized to issue brief topic-specific reports to alert the courts to emerging issues and opportunities.
For more information, contact the Administrative Office of the Courts. Document Reference: Order No. S-1-AP-2025-00048, Filed August 15, 2025, Supreme Court of New Mexico
