Bernalillo County District Courthouse

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 Unilocal (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. :)

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.

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 2^nd district court is where you want to be if you get picked.

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.

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 café 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.