Patricio Serna

Patricio M. Serna was a justice on the New Mexico Supreme Court. He won a seat on the court on November 6, 1996 in a partisan election.^[1] His final term would have ended in 2016, but he retired from the court on August 31, 2012.^[2]

Education

Serna received his B.S. in business administration from the College of St. Joseph and his J.D. from the University of Denver Law School. He also has a Master of Laws from Harvard Law School.^[3]

Career

Serna was appointed to the First District Court in 1985. He served in this capacity until his election to the New Mexico Supreme Court in 1996. In addition to being a judge, Serna has been an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law School and Columbus School of Law at the Catholic University of America.^[3][4]

Awards and associations

• One of the 100 Most Influential Hispanics in America, Hispanic Business Magazine
• Judge of the Year Award, National Hispanic Bar Association
• Outstanding Lawyer Award, New Mexico Hispanic Bar Association
• President and Moderator, National Consortium on Racial and Ethnic Fairness in the Courts

Elections

2008

In 2008, Serna was retained with 72.9% of the vote.^[5]

2000

In 2000, Serna was retained with 74% of the vote.^[6]

1996

Serna narrowly defeated opponent Harris L. Hartz in his quest for the Supreme Court.

• Serna - 252,464 or 48% of the vote
• Hartz - 248,350 or 47% of the vote^[7]

Political ideology

See also: Political ideology of State Supreme Court Justices

In October 2012, political science professors Adam Bonica and Michael Woodruff of Stanford University attempted to determine the partisan ideology of state supreme court justices. They created a scoring system in which a score above 0 indicated a more conservative-leaning ideology, while scores below 0 were more liberal.

Serna received a campaign finance score of -1.05, indicating a liberal ideological leaning. This was less liberal than the average score of -1.18 that justices received in New Mexico.

The study was based on data from campaign contributions by the judges themselves, the partisan leaning of those who contributed to the judges' campaigns, or, in the absence of elections, the ideology of the appointing body (governor or legislature). This study was not a definitive label of a justice, but an academic summary of various relevant factors.^[8]

See also

• News: Justices in Alaska and New Mexico announce retirement, June 18, 2012
• News: Two lawyers recommended for New Mexico Supreme Court, August 14, 2012
• New Mexico Supreme Court

External links

• New Mexico Supreme Court, Justice Patricio M. Serna
• Hispanic Business Biography
• Project Vote Smart, Justice Patricio M. Serna {NM}
• ABQ Journal, "UPDATED: 4 Vie To Replace Retiring Justice," Jun 21, 2012
• Access My Library, "Lawyers Donate Mainly to Serna," January 26, 1997

Footnotes