Eddy County
Eddy County has a land area of 4,198 square miles and is named in honor of Charles Eddy. It was created in 1891 but reorganized in 1892. The population of the county was 62,314 in 2020 and Carlsbad is its largest city and county seat.
The court system in Eddy County comprises a District Court, a Probate Court, a few Magistrate Courts, and four Municipal Courts. The Fifth Judicial District Court is a court of general jurisdiction which holds jury trials. It specializes in cases involving misdemeanors, torts and contracts, juvenile offenses, domestic relations, and mental health matters.
Magistrate Courts are courts of limited jurisdiction with authority to decide on landlord-tenant, misdemeanor, DUI, and hold felony preliminary hearings. There are three such courts in Eddy County. Probate Courts hear uncontested probate cases while the contested cases go to the District court for hearing.
Municipal Courts have limited jurisdiction to decide on petty misdemeanor, DWI, traffic violation, and municipal violation cases. Municipal Courts in Eddy County are located in:
- Artesia
- Carlsbad
- Hope
- Loving
Part of the District Court Clerk's official duty is to keep and maintain case records in Eddy County. The Office of the District Clerk in accordance with the letter of the Inspection of Public Record Act has the obligation to provide unrestricted access to anyone requesting public court records in New Mexico.
Examples of publicly available court records in Eddy County are:
- Civil records
- Criminal records
- Family law records
- Probate records
You can look up court records on the New Mexico Court Records portal to access civil and criminal cases filed in Eddy County. For District, Magistrate, and Municipal courts, their records can be accessed electronically on the New Mexico Case Lookup portal. However, you need to request access to court records before 1997 by completing an online request. You can also use the New Mexico Courts Public Access portal to search court records (municipal). You can search by case type, citation number, case number/cross reference number, name of attorney, party involved, case status (open or closed), and date the case was filed.
