{"id":15,"date":"2025-10-29T19:40:23","date_gmt":"2025-10-29T19:40:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nmrji.nmcourts.gov\/?page_id=15"},"modified":"2026-05-07T18:14:51","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T18:14:51","slug":"about-the-rural-justice-initiative","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/nmrji.nmcourts.gov\/about-the-rural-justice-initiative\/","title":{"rendered":"About the Rural Justice Initiative"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Description and History<\/h2>\n\n\n
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In April 2022, the New Mexico Supreme Court convened a committee of rural judges, attorneys, and community leaders to address the state\u2019s growing \u201clegal deserts\u201d\u2014rural areas with severe shortages of practicing attorneys. In September 2022, the committee recommended establishing the \u201cRural Justice Initiative,\u201d a program designed to strengthen legal services in rural communities through three components: (1) Rural Judicial Externships (RJEs), (2) Rural Practice Externships (RPEs), and (3) Rural Practice Incubators (RPIs).<\/p>\n\n\n\n


An additional measure, the Rural Justice Initiative Clerkship Program, was piloted in 2024 in the 9th and 11th Judicial Districts and continues to provide recent law graduates the opportunity to clerk for rural state court Chief Judges. Together, these efforts create meaningful pathways for law students and attorneys to foster long-term relationships and connections with rural communities, resulting in lasting commitment to service and greater access to justice across New Mexico\u2019s underserved regions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Description and History In April 2022, the New Mexico Supreme Court convened a committee of rural judges, attorneys, and community leaders to address the state\u2019s growing \u201clegal deserts\u201d\u2014rural areas with severe shortages of practicing attorneys. In September 2022, the committee recommended establishing the \u201cRural Justice Initiative,\u201d a program designed to strengthen legal services in rural… Continue reading About the Rural Justice Initiative<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page_fixed_width.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_searchwp_excluded":"","footnotes":""},"folder":[],"class_list":["post-15","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAbout the Rural Justice Initiative - Rural Justice Initiative<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nmrji.nmcourts.gov\/en\/about-the-rural-justice-initiative\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"About the Rural Justice Initiative - Rural Justice Initiative\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Description and History In April 2022, the New Mexico Supreme Court convened a committee of rural judges, attorneys, and community leaders to address the state\u2019s growing \u201clegal deserts\u201d\u2014rural areas with severe shortages of practicing attorneys. 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