After more than 22 years of service on the New Mexico Court of Appeals, Judge Jim Wechsler has announced that he will be retiring on July 31, 2017, according to this story by Phaedra Haywood in the Santa Fe New Mexican. Ms. Haywood’s story says that Judge Wechsler’s tenure is the second-longest of any appellate judge in New Mexico history.
As one of the most respected and hard-working judges in the state, Judge Wechsler certainly deserves his retirement, but this is a real loss to the people of New Mexico. Judge Wechsler’s opinions are full of both legal erudition and common sense. Also, he is unassuming and respectful towards everyone he meets. I can attest to this as the recipient of kindness, encouragement, and advice from Judge Wechsler since meeting him while I was a lowly law student in the late 1990s.
His shoes will be hard — perhaps impossible — to fill.
