District courthouses staying open for business at noon starting this week
Local residents looking to conduct business in district courts in San Juan County over their lunch hour now will have the opportunity to do so, as court officials have announced those buildings will offer expanded operating hours beginning Tuesday, Sept. 5.
The change was announced in a news release issued by the Eleventh Judicial District Court last week. It affects district courts in Farmington and Aztec in San Juan County, as well as the district court in Gallup in McKinley County. The courts now will be open continuously from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays instead of closing from noon to 1 p.m.
“We can better serve the public by remaining open at a time when people can conduct their business with a district court without taking time off from work,” Judge Curtis Gurley stated in the release.
Courthouse visitors now will be able to perform a variety of tasks over the lunch hour, according to the release, including obtaining court records and filing documents in the court clerk’s office, picking up packets of court forms that people without an attorney can fill out and file in certain types of cases, and seeking assistance from the court’s resource center, which offers Internet access for looking up court cases and completing juror questionnaires.
The release states people also will be able to call district court between noon and 1 p.m. to obtain help from court personnel, rather than being connected to a recording indicating the court is closed during that hour.
The change does not apply to magistrate courts in San Juan and McKinley counties, officials said. Those courts already operate during the noon hour.
The Farmington District Court is located at 851 Andrea Drive. The Aztec District Court is located at 103 S. Oliver Drive.
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This article originally appeared on Farmington Daily Times: San Juan and McKinley district courts staying continuously open weekdays
