Thanks to these guys, my wallet is $20 lighter. I was just getting acclimated to the high altitude of Albuquerque, taken aback by the beauty of the Land of Enchantment, excited for green chile and sopapillas, and was so enchanted that I didn't see that there was a parking meter along the street, which I (allegedly) never fed, (supposedly) breaking some law about violating their precious parking spot, resulting in a ticket. On the ticket, there's a website where you can type in your infraction number, and get the (supposed) evidence against you, such as photos. When I clicked through to see for myself the evidence of my crimes against the people of Bernalillo County that the prosecution had brought against me, the links didn't work. 404 Error. The evidence was missing! I should've been let off right then. However, Bernalillo County doubles (Yes! Doubles!) the price of justice every two weeks, ultimately resulting in incarceration if you don't get a speedy trial or pay up. Since I was a (harshly treated) guest in the town, I was forced to pay up for my (alleged) infraction over the internet, which saved me from having to visit this beautiful building. I drove by the courthouse (in a safe and controlled manner) to shake my fist at this courthouse, and their scheme to ticket out of state drivers who are too enchanted to notice parking meters. If they'd cover them in turquoise or dress them up like a Katchina doll, I'd take notice of them. The courthouse is a nice looking building that I was thankful that I didn't have to visit. read more

Ok, how you feel about this place undoubtedly depends on why you're here. I was here for jury duty, so my experience was a pretty good one. If I was here as a defendant, I think I might give it a few less stars... Objectively, the building is very pretty and the security staff are amazingly nice. There is even a little cafe here. On to jury duty. I've done jury duty in several states. This one was by far, hands down, the best... No contest. The staff treat the jurors with such amazing respect. You really feel like they value our time and effort. The staff explain what's going on, even the judges will come down and address the whole group (all 150 of us or so) and let us know the schedule. They provide free drinks too. The most amazing thing was that they let you bring in your electronics! They even have free wifi. Yes, as long as you turn off your phone when you go into the courtroom, you can have it all with you. Wow, so cool and makes the time pass much more pleasantly. I got put on a trial (Judge Flores) and the good treatment continued. Sure, there was snacks and drinks. But this was the first time, ever, that everyone in the court stood up in respect when the jury entered or exited. Even the judge. Wow. And, when the case got dismissed, the judge came in to explain what happened, why, answer questions, etc. Holy crap. Then she asked the prosecution and defense lawyers to come in and explain everything to us. Finally, the judge gave us all signed certificates of appreciation, thanked us by name, and said bye. I was blown away. It may sound weird, but I will not mind at all when I am called back for jury duty. read more

I came here to accompany a relative filing some legal papers. No biggie. And of course, we didn't know that no recording devices (including cellphones) are allowed inside. We parked in paid underground parking garage a couple of blocks away and it was too far and too cold to walk back. My relative gave me her phone for safekeeping while she went inside to do her business. Browsing thru yelp (on my phone, outside the building), I read that there are available lockers somewhere accross the street. The security personnel didnt mention this to us (minus one star). Since I was just waiting there with nothing to do besides freezing in the harsh winter weather, I decided to explore and look for these lockers. Walked accross the street to this one building and went inside and found the lockers just as I entered the premises. On the instructions posted on the lockers, it says to put a quarter in. It wasn't working. Good thing a lady came to retrieve her phone from one of the lockers and feeling stupid, I asked her to show me how to operate it. It turns out, there was nothing to it. The lockers are free! You just put your stuff inside, take the key, lock it and go. So I went inside the courthouse with my relative. The employees at the windows were very helpful with my relative's paperwork. I didn't get to go or see a "court" eventhough this is a courthouse. Overall, it was a positive, enlightening experience. It was my first time in a courthouse and I thought that we were actually going to see a "court" where they do hearings with the judge and stuff, like in TV. But all I saw was pleasant lady employees helping people wih their questions and stuff. It was interesting. :) read more

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How can you people find this funny? Imagine being evicted from your home in the dead of winter by these crooks because you were laid off due to COVID. You people need to open your eyes to the reality of what's going on right now with people other than just yourself. You will be cold broke and lonely one day too and regret your ignorance. read more

So I'm refinancing my house and the title company is requiring a copy of my divorce decree. Uhhhh. I got divorced in 2010 and my paperwork was burned at my divorce celebration. And yes. There was alcohol involved. The hours have decreased due to budget cuts so they're only open 10am-2pm M-F. I got there a little after 1pm last Friday and the line was long!! Come to find out, if you are not a window by 2pm, you will not be served. Just because you're in line before 2pm does NOT guarantee you will be helped. It was getting closer to 2 and I'm getting nervous. I get to a window with a few minutes to spare and I requested a copy of my divorce decree. I even have my case number to expedite things so I'm pretty happy. Well, they stop "pulling files" at 1:30pm and my file needed to be "pulled". So I'm bummed but that's the way it is. So I go downtown today at 10:30am. I walk in and no one is in line. Score! I see a girl behind a window with a Steelers lanyard on and I said, "I want YOU to help me"!! I'm wearing a Steelers shirt, of course. The girls name was Ashley and she was amazing!! We talked about the SuperBowl and how bummed we were the Patriots (gag) won. The whole time she's taking care of my needs and chatting away with me. She actually made something that I was dreading kind of fun! Thanks Ashley!! Now, the reason I gave 4 stars is because you can't take your cell phone inside the court house. Okay, I guess I get it. No problem. BUT, they don't have lockers you can leave your cell phone in like they do across the street. Talk about a major inconvenience. My son dropped me off so I didn't have to pay for parking or walk to the courthouse, but I couldn't call him when I was ready to be picked up. They really need to get some lockers to accommodate people. Maybe just put them outside of the courtrooms where no phones are allowed. read more

I have a court date today and I called in to double check if it was over the phone or if they opened up because nothing was sent to me in the mail. I reach the traffic clerk and she's super rude. It's like she treats people beneath her. Come on bernalillo county, hire professional people without attitudes. read more

This place is ridiculous. If I can give it a negative star review, I would. Every time I call the old ass lady who answers the phone is always huffing and puffing about something, sounds irritated that she has to "do the job she gets paid to do", and worst of all never seems to know what the hell she is talking about or doesn't have an answer. It's appalling to know that this "courthouse" would dare have such a horrible receptionist when people who care about their own lives, unlike her, call to get things figured out and may not have the time to waste by going into the courthouse just to be put through the hassle this lady gives everyone over the phone. Disgusting. read more

Sonia and another woman helped me over the phone the both times I called to inquire about address changes and other account info. They are amazing, patient, and customer service oriented employees! read more

I guess if you have to have jury duty, this is the place to do it. They treat you pretty well here, even allowing cell phones and computers (with free wifi). They also have free water, coffee and sodas for the jurors and plenty of comfortable seats. They have two televisions going, one on the news and one on sports. We were treated well by the judge and had a comfortable deliberation room with two restrooms and a great view of the city. While jury duty is not fun, and is a very serious, civic duty, the 2nd district court is where you want to be if you get picked. read more

Don't put this place on your bucket list but should you find yourself here, take a peek at Judge Victor Valdez. Sure he's pretty hot for an older dude but he's really fair & I noticed he took the time to cut people slack on fees while giving them the business @ the same time. Tons of time could be saved by putting a pep in the chicks that process the new court date's step cause they really take their sweet time. Can't give them 5 stars cause they're like THE LAW & nobody with that kinda power gets 5 stars from this YELPer. But yeah, call me Victor read more

When you enter the seven story brick and stucco building your heart races, because you've done something horribly wrong to be there in the first place. If you are fortunate enough to get there at the right time, you can wait in line and practice your reading skills by viewing one of the three dozen signs which direct persons to leave, amongst other things, their guns, cell phones, drinks, and any other weapons or accoutrement elsewhere. While you are leisurely gazing around while wondering "what bodily function made that mess on the bullet proof glass?" you can hear the distant deputy voices arguing with people in front of you about whether or not those people can bring in their guns, cell phones, knives, food, drinks, and other accoutrement that is listed on the large bright signs surrounding the lobby. (Props to the deputies they treat each individual with respect. I would have lost my job by the third illiterate person of the morning). You can also witness the dexterity of most men when they are commanded to take their belts off before passing through the metal detector. I wanted to date a guy solely based on his ability to one handedly unlatch his belt take it off, throw it in a bucket while still fluidly moving through the metal detector. Once you have made it inside, you are witness to a working lesson in civics. Although there is no music or other media to calm the masses, you are still able to sink into the sounds of desperate people slowly losing their freedom and general hold on reality. The only people in the courthouse who seem to enjoy their stay are the in-custody defendants, thus evidencing that indeed jail and prison are really THAT bad. read more

Meh, what can you say? Odds are, if you're in this place, you did a traffic no-no and now it's time to pay the piper. Well, at least that's the case for me. Anyway, it's a little frustrating when you're trying to be proactive by arriving early to your assigned time frame and the room you're supposed to be in is locked. It makes it all sorts of people get backed up into the hallway and when the door is eventually unlocked, it's like a stampede funneling through a small entrance to get first dibs with the court person to let them know they're actually there. Smushy smushy! Then, the people in the processing room that calls you in, I swear, zero energy, they act like their life sucks and come across as miserable. Say something nice & considerate to them despite you're the one served with some generous amount of lube to your bank account? Don't bother. They never crack a smile or even ask you how you're doing even though, well, it's obvious you're not all that lucky if you're there..but still...at least pretend! Keep in mind, I grew up in the Monterey County Courthouse since my mother worked for them, so I was used to dealing with court officials, other people who work for the county and so on...but I'm only going to guess that Monterey County isn't miserable to work for since everyone I knew there at least put out some sort of effort not to look like they'd rather stick their hand in a wood chipper. read more