By Jim Owen

Hurley's Municipal Judge David Ramos has agreed to accept discipline imposed by the New Mexico Judicial Standards Commission for his alleged "willful misconduct."

Ramos contacted Magistrate Judge Maurine Laney of Silver City, concerning a pending case in her court, "in an attempt to personally vouch for the character of the defendant and obtain special treatment for the defendant," according to a petition from the commission that the state Supreme Court approved last week.

The document states that Ramos "admits that this admitted conduct violates (various) rules of the Code of Judicial Conduct."

He reportedly disobeyed rules regarding "compliance with the law, promoting confidence in the judiciary, avoiding abuse of the prestige of judicial office, external influences on judicial conduct, ex parte communications, judicial statements on pending and impending cases, and testifying as a character witness."

On Aug. 6, the commission issued a "notice of preliminary investigation" concerning Ramos. Nine days later, the judge filed his response, "admitting he acted improperly in attempting to vouch for the character of a defendant in a pending matter," according to the Petition to Accept Stipulation Agreement and Consent to Discipline, which the commission filed Sept. 8.

The agreement calls for Ramos to "receive a public censure from the Supreme Court, complete a formal mentorship and complete one year of unsupervised probation."

The court will appoint a mentor recommended by the commission. The arrangement "shall remain in effect until the mentor advises the commission that the goals of the mentorship have been achieved," justices wrote in their order accepting the agreement.

"If (Ramos) violates any provisions of the Code of Judicial Conduct or causes a 'notice of formal proceedings' in another inquiry to be issued during the period of mentorship (or during the subsequent year of probation), formal proceedings ... will be initiated," the petition states.

The commission wrote that it "believes this stipulation agreement best serves the interest of justice and the integrity of the New Judiciary."