• Home
• About
• Contact
• Donate
• Archives
• Links

District Judge Arrieta seeks election to post he holds

District Judge Mannie Arrieta has announced that he will seek election to a full term in the Third District Court in  November.

“I have enjoyed my work as a judge,”  Arrieta said, “especially the opportunity to serve the people of this county fairly and impartially.  The right to a fair trial is one of the cornerstones of our democratic society.”

Arrieta, 52. was approved by a Judicial Selection Commission in December 2008 and his name sent to Governor Bill Richardson, who appointed him to the Third Judicial District Court in Las Cruces, in January, 2009.

Arrieta currently presides over Division I which is a civil docket that handles cases such as contract disputes, guardianships, probates, personal injury claims, land use and zoning and other civil matters.  Prior to the appointment,  Arrieta had 25 years of experience in the area of civil law in southern New Mexico.

Arrieta said he considers Division I as dealing with “home and family issues” as opposed to a “law and order” docket.    “This is not a criminal or juvenile docket”, he said.  “Most of the issues I deal with hit close to home, such as foreclosures, injury claims, collection claims, guardianships and probates.  Given my 25 years of experience in these areas, including my judicial experience, I believe I am uniquely qualified to provide fair and sound decisions in these areas”.

According to  Arrieta, approximately 40 percent of the civil docket involves foreclosures and collection claims.

“My long experience as an attorney has been helpful to me as a judge,”  Arrieta he added.  “I have appreciated the opportunity to bring my professional skills and legal understanding to the bench, and to serve with fairness and integrity.  I hope to continue to serve the people of this county.”

Prior to his appointment,  Arrieta was a volunteer member of the Disciplinary Board Hearing Committee for the New Mexico Disciplinary Board.  He has also been active in Big Brothers/Big Sisters, the Las Cruces Homeless Legal Clinic, New Mexico High School Mock Trials, League of United Latin American Citizens, Young Executives for the Memorial Medical Foundation, Inc., and in numerous other activities and agencies.

Arrieta was born in Deming and grew up in the Mesilla Valley.   Arrieta is the  father of three grown children, who have attended schools and universities in southern New Mexico.  His parents were immigrant farm laborers and seasonal migrant workers who are now retired and living in the Mesilla Valley.   Arrieta is a 1978 graduate of the Dona Ana Community College, a 1981 graduate of New Mexico State University and a 1984 graduate of the University of Michigan School of Law.  Prior to his practice in southern New Mexico,  Arrieta clerked for the New Mexico Court of Appeals in Santa Fe from 1984 through 1985.

Comments