Lawyers who want to be appointed by the governor to the new district judgeship in Santa Fe must apply by March 15.

But would-be judges who want to keep that job past this year will have to file with the Office of the Secretary of State on the very next day. This gives judicial hopefuls slightly more than two weeks to gather nominating petitions with valid signatures, which are necessary to get on the ballot.

Whoever Gov. Bill Richardson appoints to the new position will serve until a new judge is elected in November. Richardson's appointee assumedly would be running for the position, but those wishing to run for the judge's position do not have to go through the appointment process.

Democratic candidates must have 534 valid signatures of registered Democrats in the judicial district to get on the Democratic primary ballot. Republicans need 77 registered Republicans in the district to get on the Republican primary ballot.

Under state law, state judges must face one partisan election. Once elected, state judges only have to go through periodic retention elections without opponents in which voters choose "yes" or "no" to keep the judge.

But Richardson is hoping would-be judges jump through both hoops.

"Candidates are encouraged to apply for appointment through the nominating commission process, while at the same time taking the necessary steps to get on the primary-election ballot," governor's spokesman Gilbert Gallegos told a reporter Friday.

Richardson on Monday signed the bill to create the new $111,500-a-year judicial position in the 1st Judicial District, which includes Santa Fe, Rio Arriba and Los Alamos counties.

"The law creates a deadline for the governor to follow in appointing a judge to this vacancy," Gallegos said in an e-mail Friday. "The nominating commission has 30 days from the time the vacancy was created to send the governor names. The governor then has 30 days to make an appointment — which falls before the June primary election."

This means Richardson would have to make his appointment by late April. The primary is June 8.

Four of the eight 1st Judicial District judges have been appointed in the past year and will have to go through the election process this year. Besides the new judge appointed by Richardson in the coming weeks, those facing their first election are David Thomson, who was appointed this week, Sarah Singleton and Sheri Raphaelson. All are Democrats.

Those wishing to apply for the new judgeship can download an application at lawschool.unm.edu/judsel/application.php.

The nominating commission is scheduled to meet March 25 to evaluate the applicants for the job.

Contact Steve Terrell at 986-3037 or sterrell@sfnewmexican.com.