Doña Ana County District Court Overview
The Third Judicial District Court is the primary trial court for Doña Ana County. It hears felony criminal cases, civil cases over the magistrate threshold, divorce and domestic relations, juvenile matters, mental health cases, appeals from lower courts, orders of protection, name changes, child support, real-estate foreclosure, and estate matters that exceed informal probate. It is the main court for full District Court case files in Las Cruces.
New Mexico's judiciary includes the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, District Courts, Magistrate Courts, Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court, Probate Courts, and Municipal Courts. In Doña Ana County, District Court sits above Magistrate and Municipal Courts for many routes. A felony arrest may start with booking and preliminary events in Magistrate Court, but the full felony case file belongs in District Court once formally filed there.
The Third Judicial District judges page is a main source for court division details. 
The district site links readers to case lookup, dockets, forms, fines, language access, and local court programs.
Doña Ana County District Court Judges
The District Court operates through numbered divisions at the Third Judicial District Court in Las Cruces. The research captured the official judge table with division, courtroom, phone, and proposed-text email addresses. These divisions are not separate county courthouses; they are District Court judicial divisions within the same county trial court.
| Division | Judge | Courtroom | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | Manuel I. Arrieta | 1 | 575-523-8225 |
| II | Robert Lara | 2 | 575-523-8235 |
| III | Conrad F. Perea | 5 | 575-528-8362 |
| IV | Rebecca C. Duffin | 9 | 575-523-8230 |
| V | Casey B. Fitch | 8 | 575-528-8345 |
| VI | James T. Martin | 7 | 575-523-8292 |
| VII | Douglas R. Driggers | 6 | 575-523-8261 |
| VIII | Grace B. Duran | 4 | 575-523-8220 |
| IX | Richard M. Jacquez | 3 | 575-523-8272 |
The Office of the Clerk page explains the services available around those court files. 
The clerk is the practical contact when a District Court record must be inspected, copied, or certified.
District Court vs Magistrate Court
Doña Ana County does not use a county court layer for the ordinary trial-court routing described in the research. The lower courts are Magistrate Court and Municipal Court. District Court is the general-jurisdiction court, Magistrate Court handles limited civil, traffic, misdemeanor, DWI/DUI, landlord-tenant, and felony preliminary matters, and Municipal Court handles city ordinance, petty misdemeanor, DWI/DUI, and city traffic matters without jury trials.
| Topic | District Court | Magistrate Court | Municipal Court |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civil limit | Civil over $10,000 and broader civil jurisdiction. | Civil claims up to $10,000 and landlord-tenant cases. | Municipal ordinance matters, not general civil jurisdiction. |
| Criminal role | Felonies, criminal appeals, and some misdemeanor contexts. | Misdemeanors, DWI/DUI, traffic, and felony preliminary hearings. | Petty misdemeanors, DWI/DUI, city traffic, and city ordinance cases. |
| Family cases | Divorce, custody, child support, kinship guardianship, and protection-order petitions. | No general divorce or custody jurisdiction. | No general divorce or custody jurisdiction. |
| Probate role | Contested probate and District Court probate filings. | No informal probate role noted in research. | No probate role noted in research. |
| Jury trials | Yes. | Yes. | No jury trials. |
Doña Ana County District Court Case Flow
Case movement depends on the case type. A felony may start with law-enforcement arrest, detention booking, and a Magistrate Court preliminary stage before the District Attorney files an information, seeks an indictment, or otherwise moves the case into District Court. A divorce starts with domestic relations papers at the District Court Clerk's Office, service on the other spouse, and a final decree signed by a judge.
Criminal flow: Arrest › booking or summons › Magistrate preliminary events › indictment or information › District Court arraignment › pretrial motions › plea or trial › disposition › sentencing › appeal.
Civil and family flow: Petition or complaint filed › summons issued › service › answer or response › hearings, mediation, or motions › trial or settlement › order or judgment › appeal if allowed.
Public access to the case path begins in New Mexico Case Lookup, but documents and certified copies require the Doña Ana County District Court Clerk. Note: Order-of-protection cases are not displayed in public Case Lookup even though the District Court handles those proceedings.
Doña Ana County District Court Divisions
The District Court's work includes civil, criminal, family, juvenile, probate-contest, mental-health, domestic violence, and lower-court appeal matters. Civil files can include tort, contract, real property, foreclosure, administrative appeal, name change, and miscellaneous civil cases. Criminal files include felony cases, pleas, motions, trial records, judgments, sentences, warrants, and appeal-related entries.
Family and domestic relations cases include divorce, custody, child support, paternity, kinship guardianship, and related forms. Some family records have public limits. Domestic violence order-of-protection cases stopped displaying in public Case Lookup as of July 1, 2008, and adoption and juvenile records are confidential or sealed. District Court may also handle contested probate even though informal probate starts with the county Probate Court.
The Domestic Violence Special Commissioner page is a District Court source for protection-order workflow. 
That program shows why some District Court matters are public in docket form but limited or absent from public lookup.
Doña Ana County Specialty Courts
The Third Judicial District has several specialty programs. Adult Drug Court has operated since 1998 and focuses on supervision, treatment, reduced recidivism, alternative sentencing, and team-based support. The research identified more than 435 graduates and listed Peak Behavioral Health Services as a treatment provider as of November 2021. Carmen Florez Lucero was listed as program manager.
Juvenile Drug Court focuses on public safety and reducing repeat offenses among participating youth. It uses intensive supervision, rehabilitation, family strengthening, school accountability, incentives and consequences, and community resources. Veterans Treatment Court was confirmed through a 2026 RFP for continuing services in Las Cruces and Doña Ana County, with substance abuse treatment, drug testing, counseling, professional services, approved provider requirements, and volunteer mentors.
The Adult Drug Court page is one source for local District Court specialty programming. 
Specialty courts can affect hearings, compliance, supervision, and sentencing records in eligible criminal cases.
The Juvenile Drug Court source documents youth-focused court supervision. 
Juvenile case details remain restricted even when a program page describes the court process.
The Veterans Treatment Court RFP confirms continuing local services for veterans in the Third Judicial District. 
Treatment-court records should be read with attention to access limits, compliance status, and final disposition.
Doña Ana County Lower Courts
Magistrate and Municipal Courts are essential to a complete Doña Ana County District Court search because many cases never begin in District Court. Doña Ana Magistrate Court in Las Cruces is at 110 Calle de Alegra, Las Cruces, NM 88005, phone 575-524-2814. Doña Ana Anthony Magistrate Court is at 220 Crossett Lane Suite B, Anthony, NM 88021, phone 575-882-2554. The court docket page also lists a Hatch Magistrate Court docket channel, though the captured official location table did not confirm a Hatch address.
Municipal courts in Anthony, Hatch, Las Cruces, Mesilla, and Sunland Park handle city ordinance, petty misdemeanor, DWI/DUI, and city traffic matters. Las Cruces Municipal Court is at 135 E. Griggs Ave. and uses phone 575-541-2224. Anthony Municipal Court appears in official municipal contacts at 824 Anthony Drive with phone 575-882-5722. A city traffic ticket often belongs to the city court, while a state citation may belong to Magistrate Court.
Doña Ana County District Court Location
The main courthouse is Third Judicial District Court, 201 W. Picacho Ave., Las Cruces, NM 88005. The official directory lists the building as open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., open through lunch, excluding court holidays. Main phone is 575-523-8200. Clerk case information is 575-528-8316, Jury Division is 575-528-8308, and Self-Help Division is 575-528-8399.
Security rules should be taken seriously. The research notes court restrictions on cell phones, pagers, tape recorders, cameras, food and drinks, knitting, needlepoint, scissors, knives, tools, guns, and reading materials in courtrooms or jury rooms. Domestic-violence settings have additional warnings about weapons, keychain knives, phones, and bags. The Self-Help Center is on the first floor across from Family Law Clerks.