Rule of law advances a civil and engaged democracy | Opinion Chief Justice David K. Thomson

Iam pleased to announce the New Mexico Supreme Court’s fifth annual “Rule of Law” program.

The goal of the program is to educate middle school, high school, and college students on the judiciary’s role in our democracy and how the rule of law secures a just and civil society. This year we will hold oral argument at the Henderson Fine Arts Center at San Juan College in Farmington at 1 p.m. on Aug. 28.

Normally, I write an op-ed in advance of the program to discuss the importance of understanding how our judicial system advances the rule of law and how the rule of law then advances a civil and engaged democracy. This time, I want to focus on one particular process: oral argument.

I urge all New Mexicans to witness our judicial system at work by viewing an oral argument, which allows the p