What Is a Court Docket in Colfax County
A docket is the court's running schedule and event list for a case. In Colfax County, a public docket may show a hearing time, case number, party caption, and hearing type. The District Court docket inspected in the research showed a pattern such as a hearing time, a District Court case number beginning with D-809, a caption in the form State of New Mexico v. a named defendant, and a hearing type such as Jury Trial. That is calendar information, not the complete court file.
The distinction matters because a docket can tell a reader that a hearing exists, but it may not provide pleadings, orders, exhibits, or certified copies. New Mexico Case Lookup also does not provide documents. Documents may require a request to the court where the case was filed, in-person inspection, or registered re:SearchNM access when the user profile permits document access. For broader case-search instructions, the general Colfax County court records page explains the record portals and document limits.
The court level also matters. Colfax County is in the Eighth Judicial District, and District Court handles general-jurisdiction matters such as felony criminal cases, civil cases, domestic relations, juvenile jurisdiction, mental health matters, appeals from lower courts, and contested estate matters. Magistrate Court handles misdemeanors, DWI/DUI, traffic, landlord-tenant, contract, tort, real-property-rights matters up to $10,000, and felony preliminary hearings. Raton and Springer Municipal Courts handle petty misdemeanors, DWI/DUI, traffic violations, and municipal ordinance violations.
How to Find Colfax County Dockets Online
The Eighth Judicial District publishes separate official docket pages for the Colfax County District Court in Raton, Raton Magistrate Court, and Springer Magistrate Court. The District Court docket page is the official calendar source for Colfax District Court hearings in Raton.
This District Court calendar is the place to start for felony, civil, family, juvenile, contested probate, and lower-court appeal settings when the case is in the Eighth Judicial District Court for Colfax County.
- Open the official Eighth Judicial District docket page for the court that should have the hearing.
- Use the court level to separate District Court hearings from Raton Magistrate Court and Springer Magistrate Court hearings.
- Compare the visible hearing time, case number, caption, and hearing type with any paperwork, citation, notice, or Case Lookup result.
- If the online calendar is unclear, call the filing court before travel because calendars can change.
New Mexico Case Lookup is the broader public case-search tool. It covers New Mexico appellate, District, Magistrate, Metropolitan, and Municipal Court records after the user accepts the disclaimer. It can be searched by name, case number, or DWI tab, and the Name Search form supports party name, driver's license, date of birth, court type, court location, case category, filing-date range, hearing-date range, and result-limit filters. For Colfax District Court, the District Court location shown in the research is 809 - Raton. For Magistrate Court, Colfax options include Raton, Springer, and Cimarron.
Odyssey Public Access is another official access channel. It includes a public location chooser with Colfax County Magistrate Court locations such as Cimarron, Raton, and Springer, then launches Case Search. It also supports electronic fine and fee payment, but the public notice says payment resolves only financial obligations and does not resolve active warrants or other court-ordered conditions. The site also notes a regular Sunday maintenance window from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Sample Colfax County Docket Entry
A public Colfax docket entry should be read as a scheduling record first. The research sample from the District Court docket showed visible calendar fields rather than downloaded filings. A case number such as D-809-CR-2025-00094 identifies District Court, the Colfax/Raton location, criminal category, filing year, and sequence. A caption identifies the parties, and a hearing type tells the reader what kind of event the court has scheduled.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Hearing Time | The time the matter appears on the public calendar, such as a morning setting. |
| Case Number | The court's case identifier, including examples with D-809 for Colfax District Court and category codes such as CR or CV. |
| Caption | The party names or case title, such as a criminal caption naming the State of New Mexico and a defendant. |
| Hearing Type | The scheduled event, such as jury trial, arraignment, motion hearing, status conference, or another calendar setting when shown. |
| Documents | Documents were not downloadable from the inspected docket page; use court request channels or re:SearchNM where available. |
| Financial Information | Fine, fee, and payment information is not the purpose of the docket page; Odyssey Public Access handles ePay where allowed. |
Dockets can change after a continuance, plea, settlement, weather closure, judge reassignment, or other court order. A printed or saved calendar should be treated as a snapshot. For any hearing that affects appearance obligations, bond conditions, warrant status, custody, or a filing deadline, verify with the court that set the hearing.
Courts That Publish Dockets in Colfax County
The Raton Magistrate Court docket page is the official online calendar source for the Raton Magistrate Court.
Use the Raton Magistrate docket for limited-jurisdiction matters assigned to that court, including misdemeanors, DWI/DUI, traffic, felony preliminary hearings, landlord-tenant, and civil claims within Magistrate Court authority.
The Springer Magistrate Court docket page is the matching official calendar source for Springer matters.
The Springer page prevents southern-county cases from being confused with Raton settings when a citation, complaint, or notice names the Springer Magistrate Court.
- Eighth Judicial District Court - Colfax County: general-jurisdiction docket for felony, civil, family, juvenile, contested estate, appeal, and other District Court matters at 1413 S. Second St. in Raton.
- Raton Magistrate Court: limited-jurisdiction docket for Raton-area misdemeanor, DWI/DUI, traffic, preliminary felony, landlord-tenant, and civil matters at 1413 South Second Street.
- Springer Magistrate Court: limited-jurisdiction docket for Springer and southern Colfax County matters at 15 Airport Road SW.
- Raton Municipal Court: municipal ordinance, petty misdemeanor, traffic, and DWI/DUI court with its own court-date and traffic-payment information through the City of Raton.
- Springer Municipal Court: municipal ordinance, petty misdemeanor, traffic, and DWI/DUI court for Springer matters; use the official municipal court contact listing when a municipal case is not visible in state tools.
Docket vs. Full Case Record
A docket is useful for timing and status. A full case record is broader. Civil files can include complaints, petitions, answers, motions, notices, orders, judgments, writs, garnishments, liens, and satisfaction documents. Criminal files can include charging documents, indictments or informations, arraignment entries, bond orders, motions, plea agreements, trial settings, verdicts, dispositions, sentencing orders, probation conditions, and appeal entries. Family files can include divorce, custody, parentage, child support, and kinship or guardianship materials, although sensitive information may be restricted.
| Docket | Full Case Record | |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Calendar and event entries | Docket plus pleadings, orders, notices, and other filings when public |
| Access | Often visible through official docket pages or public case search | May require court clerk request, in-person inspection, re:SearchNM registration, or certified-copy request |
| Use | Confirm hearings, status, case number, and event type | Review allegations, rulings, judgments, sentencing, and filed documents |
| Limits | May omit documents, financial details, protected data, and sealed events | May still omit or redact protected identifiers, juvenile matters, protection orders, mental health records, and sealed material |
When a docket does not answer the question, the next step is usually the record custodian. New Mexico Courts IPRA guidance states that records in civil and criminal cases are kept by the court where the case was filed, usually District Court or Magistrate Court. AOC is not the custodian of case files maintained by individual courts. That means a Colfax case should be directed to the Colfax court location that holds it, not to the County Clerk land-record portal unless the target is a recorded county document.
How to Read a Colfax County Docket
Start with the case number. District Court examples use D-809, followed by a category such as CR for criminal or CV for civil, then a year and sequence number. Magistrate and Municipal Court formats can differ, so do not force a District Court pattern onto a lower-court case. Next, read the caption. Criminal captions commonly name the State of New Mexico against the defendant. Civil captions identify plaintiffs, petitioners, defendants, or respondents depending on the case type.
Then read the hearing type and date. A trial setting, arraignment, status conference, motion hearing, plea hearing, or sentencing setting has different practical meaning. A docket entry may show that a hearing is scheduled without telling whether a party must appear by video, in person, or through counsel. The official Colfax court contacts are the final source for current appearance instructions: District Court at 575-445-5584, Raton Magistrate Court at 575-445-2220, and Springer Magistrate Court at 575-483-2417.
Finally, separate public scheduling information from restricted content. New Mexico Judiciary public access does not display juvenile criminal cases in Case Lookup, and Family Violence Protection Act Order of Protection cases are not displayed there. Personal identifying information such as Social Security numbers and address information is not available online for security reasons. If a docket looks incomplete, the missing information may be restricted, sealed, redacted, older than the online system, or available only from the court by request.