Governor appoints Joseph Cutts to Otero County Magistrate Court

Cutts defeated Greene, the incumbent, in the primary election and is unopposed on the November general election ballot.

Source: Office of the Governor Michell Lujan Grisham
Photo: Courtesy

SANTA FE — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham today announced the appointment of Joseph Cutts to serve as judge for the Otero County Magistrate Court, Division 2, filling a vacancy left by the resignation of Judge Albert R. Greene III. 

Cutts defeated Greene, the incumbent, in the primary election and is unopposed on the November general election ballot. Following his primary defeat, Greene stepped down from the bench, and the governor moved to fill the vacancy without delay. Cutts’ appointment is effective Sept. 12, 2026, and his term will run until the next general election, as provided by law.

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Cutts has served since 2012 as a senior adult probation and parole officer with the New Mexico Corrections Department, where he has supervised offender caseloads, conducted investigations and worked within the state’s specialty court programs, including Veterans Treatment Court and Drug Court. He is also an adjunct instructor in criminal justice at New Mexico State University–Alamogordo.

Cutts brings 11 years of combined military service, having served in the U.S. Navy. Cutts holds a Master of Science in Criminal Justice from the University of Oklahoma, a Bachelor of Criminal Justice from New Mexico State University, and an Associate of Applied Science in Criminal Justice from New Mexico State University–Alamogordo.