Luna County District Court
New Mexico uses District Courts as general jurisdiction trial courts. Luna County is in the Sixth Judicial District with Grant and Hidalgo Counties. The Luna County District Court is the correct local venue for felony criminal cases, divorce and domestic relations, major civil cases, juvenile matters, family matters, contested probate matters, lower-court appeals, and cases transferred from lower courts. It is the primary trial court named in the state court structure map for this county.
The District Court sits at the Luna County Judicial Complex, 855 S. Platinum Ave., Deming, NM 88030. Court hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The District Court Clerk's Office is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and remains open during lunch. The phone is 575-546-9611 Ext. 0, fax is 575-543-1605, and email is demdadmin@nmcourts.gov. Faxes over 10 pages are not accepted without prior District Court Clerk approval.
The Sixth Judicial District contact page is part of the local image set because it identifies Luna County District Court contact channels.
Those contact details are the practical fallback for copies, corrections, older files, and District Court records that do not display fully online.
Luna County Court List
Luna County has one District Court location in Deming for general-jurisdiction state trial court work. The surrounding local court system includes a Magistrate Court, Deming Municipal Court, Columbus Municipal Court as a Case Lookup location, and County Probate Court. The County Clerk is not the District Court Clerk, but the County Clerk handles marriage licenses, county recorded documents, Board minutes, and Probate Court clerk functions.
| Court or Office | Type | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Luna County District Court | General jurisdiction trial court | 855 S. Platinum Ave., Deming, NM 88030 | 575-546-9611 Ext. 0 |
| Luna County Magistrate Court | Limited jurisdiction court | 912 S. Silver St., Deming, NM 88030 | 575-546-9321 |
| Deming Municipal Court | City court | 1275 E. Pine St., Deming, NM 88030 | 575-546-8848 |
| Luna County Probate Court | Informal probate court | 700 S. Silver Ave., Deming, NM 88030 | 575-546-0491 |
Luna County Judges
Official Sixth Judicial District judge material identifies Jennifer E. DeLaney as District Judge, Division II, for Luna County in Deming. Luna County Magistrate Court is served by Magistrate Judge J. Scott Chandler, Luna County I, Deming. These names matter when a docket or case record lists the judicial officer assigned to a hearing, order, or judgment.
The Sixth Judicial District judges page is included as a manifest image because it documents the Luna County District Judge listing.
The District Judge listing helps connect District Court docket entries to the general-jurisdiction court that hears Luna County felony, civil, domestic, and contested probate matters.
The Sixth Judicial District magistrate judges page identifies the local Magistrate Judge for the lower court in Deming.
That lower-court judge listing is relevant because many criminal and traffic matters start in Magistrate Court before any District Court transfer.
Luna District Court Comparison
Luna County does not use the Texas-style county court and justice court structure shown in some generic templates. The local comparison is District Court, Magistrate Court, Municipal Court, and Probate Court. District Court has broad authority. Magistrate and Municipal Courts have limited jurisdiction. Probate Court handles informal estate matters unless a dispute moves the case to District Court.
| Point | District Court | Magistrate Court | Municipal Court | Probate Court |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main role | General trial court | Limited trial court | City court | Informal estate court |
| Criminal work | Felonies and transferred matters | Misdemeanors, DWI, preliminary felony matters | Petty misdemeanors, city DWI, ordinances | None as a criminal court |
| Civil work | Major civil and family cases | Lower civil, landlord and tenant matters | Municipal ordinance matters | Uncontested probate |
| Search route | Case Lookup and District Court Clerk | Case Lookup and Magistrate Court | Limited Case Lookup and city court | Probate Judge or County Clerk |
Luna District Court Case Flow
District Court case flow depends on the case type. A felony may begin with arrest or charge activity, a first appearance or preliminary proceeding in Magistrate Court, then an information or indictment in District Court. Civil and family cases begin with a petition or complaint, service, response, motions, hearings, orders, and either settlement, trial, judgment, or dismissal. Contested probate disputes can move from informal probate channels into District Court.
Criminal flow: Arrest or citation › Magistrate or first appearance › Information or indictment › Arraignment › Pretrial hearings › Plea or trial › Judgment and sentence › Appeal.
Civil flow: Petition or complaint filed › Service › Answer › Motions and discovery › Mediation or hearing › Trial or settlement › Judgment › Appeal.
Luna District Court Records
District Court records can include pleadings, petitions, complaints, answers, motions, orders, judgments, notices, settings, writs, appeals, criminal charging documents, arraignment events, pleas, trial settings, judgments and sentences, restitution, probation conditions, and appeal notices. Divorce files may include petitions, summons, responses, custody or support filings, settlement agreements, parenting plans, decrees, and post-decree motions. Some juvenile, domestic violence, financial, and protected information can be sealed or redacted.
New Mexico Case Lookup is the first public online search path. re:SearchNM may provide document access for eligible registered users. The District Court Clerk is the correct office for certified copies, clerk file checks, old cases, missing documents, and records that are not available online. County Clerk records such as deeds, mortgages, marriage licenses, and county minutes are separate from District Court case files.
Luna District Court Filing Costs
Sixth Judicial District fee material identifies local filing and payment-cost information, including magistrate civil filing cost references, copy or CD costs, accepted card types, and a 2.25 percent card service fee. The research did not extract a full District Court copy-fee table, so users needing a certified District Court record should confirm current copy and certification charges with the District Court Clerk before ordering.
| Cost Item | Published Detail |
|---|---|
| Card service fee | 2.25 percent in Sixth Judicial District fee material. |
| Magistrate civil filing | Listed in Sixth Judicial District fee and filing materials. |
| Copies or CD | Fee material references copy and CD costs. |
| Long fax to District Court | More than 10 pages requires prior clerk approval. |
The Sixth Judicial District fees and filing costs page is included as a manifest image because it is the official districtwide filing-cost source.
Fee pages should be checked close to filing or copy-request time because costs can change and may differ by case type.
Luna District Court Federal Records
Luna County District Court is a New Mexico state trial court. It is not the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico. Federal civil, criminal, civil-rights, immigration-related federal offenses, habeas, and federal statutory cases are filed in federal court. Federal bankruptcy cases go to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Mexico. Appeals from the federal district court go to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.
The U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico appears in the image set to show the separate federal court channel.
A Luna County address or party does not make a case a state District Court case when the claim or charge belongs in federal jurisdiction.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit is also included because federal appeals are outside the New Mexico Court of Appeals path.
That separate federal appellate route helps prevent confusion between New Mexico state appeals and federal appeals from the District of New Mexico.
Luna District Court Lower Courts
Magistrate Court is the most important lower court for District Court context. It handles misdemeanors, DWI, traffic, civil disputes, landlord and tenant matters, and preliminary felony proceedings. The location and hours research lists Luna County Magistrate Court at 912 S. Silver St., Deming, NM 88030, with phone 575-546-9321 and fax 575-546-4896. Published hours conflict between court pages, so call before visiting for a filing deadline.
Deming Municipal Court handles city ordinance, traffic, petty misdemeanor, and DWI matters under municipal jurisdiction. It is located at 1275 E. Pine St., Deming, NM 88030, with phone 575-546-8848 and fax 575-546-6442. Its listed hours are Monday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., and Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Columbus appears as a municipal Case Lookup location, but an official Columbus court page was not located in the research.
Appeals and transfers create another reason to identify the court level. A lower-court appeal, contested probate matter, or transferred felony proceeding can move into District Court even when the first public event began elsewhere. The District Court record then becomes the key court file for later orders, hearings, judgments, and appeal notices. If a search starts with the wrong court, use the case number, party names, and hearing date to ask the lower court whether the matter was transferred to District Court.