Santa Clara Pueblo Administrative
Location
New Mexico | United States
Job description
Position Title: Chief Judge
Department: Tribal Courts
Salary Grade: 1001 Per Class Code
Position Status: Full-time
FLSA Status: Exempt
Position Summary
The duties and powers of the Chief Judge are detailed in the Tribal Code, Chapter 35-Judicial Power.
The Chief Judge is responsible for the overall administration of the courts, including assignment of cases,
management of the court's calendar and representation of the Pueblo Judiciary. The Chief Judge
arbitrates disputes, holds trials, advises counsel or court personnel, and administers judicial system in
accordance with Tribal laws. The Chief Judge is appointed for an indefinite term and shall continue in
office until resignation, removal or death. Judges may only be removed by Tribal Council on grounds of
gross misconduct involving moral turpitude or neglect of duty.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
• Reviews civil and criminal complaints, traffic citations, pleadings, and pertinent correspondence.
• Establishes rules of procedure on questions for which standard procedures have not been
established by Tribal or Federal Indian law, or by the Supreme Court.
• Drafts amendments and codes to provide for a more efficient and effective legal system.
• Reads or listens to allegations made by plaintiff in civil suits to determine their sufficiency.
• Holds court, according to docket, to arraign individuals charged with criminal offenses; advises
defendants of complaint, of criminal statute, and of his or her rights pursuant to the Indian Civil
Rights Act; hears defendants' pleas; directs pre-sentencing reporting.
• Examines evidence in criminal cases to determine if evidence will support charges.
• Listens to presentation of case, rules on admissibility of evidence and methods of conducting
testimony, resolves facts, applies the law, and settles disputes between opposing counsel.
• Maintains control of all court proceedings.
• Maintains fair and impartial demeanor.
• Sentences a defendant in a criminal case after conviction by the judge or jury.
• Awards judicial relief to the litigants in a civil case.
• Renders decisions in writing. The decisions may contain the facts of the case, procedures of the
case, rules of law adhered to, reasoning behind decisions, and the decisions pertaining to civil,
criminal, juvenile, traffic, and other legal controversies.
• Assist in the preparation of the record of cases filed with the Appellate Court. Receives and causes
to be executed all judgments of the Appellate Court.
• Determines the documentation of any order or writ necessary and proper to be issued.
• Issues warrants; commits individuals to jail, or requires fines or bails to be rendered.
• Coordinates court activities with the assistance of the Court Administrator to expedite the hearing of
cases.
• Designates Associate Judge or Judge Pro-tem when necessary.
• Prepares program proposals and budget.
• Interacts with other service agencies and community resources regarding matters requiring
attention.
• Maintains contact, interacts with, and holds meetings with Tribal law enforcement, social services,
healthcare providers, schools, and other social service providers to promote communication,
improvement of services, and educate the community.
• Maintains knowledge of pertinent laws and regulations.
• Directly supervises Court Administrator, Court Monitor and other court staff in accordance with the
tribe's policies and applicable laws.
• Maintains confidentiality of all privileged information.
DocuSign Envelope ID: D6275985-3976-4ADC-914F-2C97EBB7F813
Chief Judge
Job Description
2
Created: 3/20/2023 AMGallegos
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
• Ability to read, analyze, and interpret complex legal documents, statutes, regulations, case laws,
court decisions.
• Strong written skills with the knowledge to write complex decisions, rules, regulations, amendments,
and codes.
• Ability to apply the law to the facts and to understand how a judicial decision will affect the human
beings appearing before the court.
• Ability to communicate with counsel, jurors, witnesses and parties calmly and courteously, as well
as the willingness to listen to and consider what is said on all sides of a debatable proposition.
• Ability to have patience, open-mindedness, courtesy, tact, courage, punctuality, firmness,
understanding, compassion, humility and common sense.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality.
• Ability to deal with a variety of abstract and concrete variables.
• Ability to respond to common inquiries from regulatory agencies, members of the community, Tribal
Council, and Governor.
• Skilled in making effective and persuasive speeches and presentations on controversial or complex
topics to Governor and Tribal Council, public groups, and community leaders.
• Skilled in applying principles of logical thinking to a wide range of intellectual and practical problems.
• Knowledgeable in defining problems, collecting data, establishing facts, and drawing valid
conclusions.
• Knowledgeable in business mathematical concepts, including budgeting concepts.
• Familiarity with Santa Clara Pueblo Tribal customs and language.
• Knowledgeable in Pueblo civil and criminal jurisdiction.
• Knowledgeable and implements Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and Special Domestic
Violence Criminal Jurisdiction (SDVCJ).
• Personally visits incarceration and treatment facilities and counseling programs to determine their
suitability for convicted offenders.
Minimum Qualifications
• Juris Doctoral degree (J. D.) or equivalent and five years related experience and/or training, or
equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience time will be considered on an individual basis.
• All judges, including a Chief Judge, who sit as STCJ Judges shall have graduated from an
accredited law school and be a member of a Federal bar.
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