New Mexico Third Judicial District Judge James T. Martin has been censured by the state Supreme Court over his conduct during a criminal trial in which his daughter was the victim of aggravated assault with a firearm.
A two-day jury trial in the assault began on July 26, 2021. After the first day of trial, Martin advised the assistant district attorney in the case on jury instruction during a telephone conversation, where he told the ADA to use the phrase “brandish a firearm” rather than asking the jury to find that the defendant “pointed a firearm” at his daughter, according to the opinion.
