New Mexico Court Records: How to Search Case Lookup and re:Search, and How Expungement Works

New Mexico runs a two-tier system for court records. Everyone can use Case Lookup, a free statewide docket search covering every New Mexico court, without registering for an account. A second, deeper tool called re:Search NM adds full Odyssey case information and access to filed documents, but only for registered users.

Knowing which tier actually answers your question, a quick check on whether a case exists versus reading the documents in it, saves a trip through the registration process for people who only need the first one.

Information last verified on 2026-08-10. This article has not yet been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

This guide is part of a broader look at court records by state; for the mechanics of federal versus state versus county searches generally, see how to look up court records and are court records public.

Case Lookup: New Mexico's Free Statewide Search

Case Lookup is New Mexico's free, no-registration entry point, described by the courts as a way to "see current electronic court records from all New Mexico Courts." The tool's own disclaimer page limits how it can be used: "Use of this site for any purpose other than viewing individual electronic court records, or attempts to download multiple records per transaction, are strictly prohibited," with data use tied to NMSA 1978, section 14-3-15.1. The disclaimer also tells users who spot an inaccuracy to notify the court where the case was heard, rather than assuming the online summary is definitive.

New Mexico's court system behind that search tool is genuinely large: the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals, 34 district courts, 43 magistrate courts spread across 13 districts, the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court, 33 county probate courts, and 78 municipal courts. Case Lookup is described as reaching across that structure, though the depth of information available for any specific court type can vary, so a blank result should be double-checked with the specific court before assuming no record exists.

re:Search NM: The Registered Tier With Documents

For access to fuller case information and to the documents filed in a case, New Mexico offers re:Search NM, a software application described by the courts as providing "access to Odyssey court case information and documents to registered users." re:Search NM replaced an older system called Secured Odyssey Public Access (SOPA) as of April 7, 2023, so any reference to SOPA in an older source is describing a system New Mexico has already retired. Unlike Case Lookup, re:Search NM requires setting up a registered account before it can be used; readers who only need to confirm a docket summary or basic case status generally do not need to register, since Case Lookup already covers that without an account.

What's Public Under Rule 1-079 NMRA

New Mexico's presumption of court-record openness is set out in Rule 1-079 NMRA, a Supreme Court-approved rule with companion versions across the state's Magistrate, Metropolitan, Criminal, and Municipal court levels. New Mexico also frames court-records access as running alongside the state's Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA), with the courts stating plainly that "every person has the right to inspect public records maintained by New Mexico Courts." This page attempted to open Rule 1-079 NMRA's text directly and could not extract readable text from the PDF, so it does not state the rule's exact sealing standard here. Readers who need the rule's precise sealing procedure and standard for a specific case should consult Rule 1-079 NMRA directly on nmcourts.gov or ask the court clerk.

Expungement Under New Mexico's CREA

New Mexico's record-relief statute is the Criminal Record Expungement Act, NMSA 1978 sections 29-3A-1 through 29-3A-7, effective January 1, 2020. New Mexico's own courts use the term expungement, not sealing, for relief under this law, and CREA sets out three distinct pathways: an automatic, streamlined online process limited to cannabis-related records; a petition-based process for expunging prior convictions; and a separate petition-based process for expunging charges from cases that did not result in a conviction. New Mexico's courts note that the process requires "one valid picture ID to verify identity," and use three separate court forms (numbered 4-951, 4-952, and 4-953) depending on which of the three pathways applies. Outside the narrow cannabis-related automatic track, New Mexico's expungement process remains something a person has to petition for. For full eligibility rules and the filing process, see New Mexico expungement laws, which this page does not duplicate.

Certified Copies

Certified copies of New Mexico court documents are requested from the clerk of the court where the case was filed. Confirm the current fee and process directly with that court, since fee specifics were not itemized in the sources reviewed for this page.

Using New Mexico Court Records the Right Way

Case Lookup and re:Search NM are both built for checking your own case, tracking a matter you are personally involved in, or general public research, not for compiling a background file on someone else, and Case Lookup's own disclaimer specifically prohibits uses beyond viewing individual records. Under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, most arrests and civil judgments age off a consumer report after seven years, but criminal convictions are carved out of that limit under 15 U.S.C. section 1681c(a)(5) and can be reported indefinitely unless the record has been expunged. Anyone assembling public court records for a hiring or housing decision may be acting as a consumer reporting agency under federal law, and the FTC has enforced this directly: in 2023 it reached a $5.8 million settlement with TruthFinder and Instant Checkmate over marketing public-records reports for tenant and employee screening without following FCRA requirements. Case Lookup is not a substitute for an FCRA-compliant background check when the decision involves employment or housing.

Related Resources

Court Records by State covers the full 50-state picture. See also How to Look Up Court Records, Are Court Records Public?, New Mexico Expungement Laws, New Mexico Background Check Laws, New Mexico Warrant Search, and New Mexico Public Records Laws.

Disclaimer

This article explains how New Mexico's court records tools are organized. It is general legal information, not legal advice. Portal features and fees change without notice; verify current details with nmcourts.gov before relying on them. Consult a New Mexico-licensed attorney for advice about a specific case.

---

Last updated: 2026-08-10. Portal facts and fees reflect their published status as of August 2026.