Dev Atma Khalsa Removed

Dev Atma Khalsa, a recently elected Santa Fe County, New Mexico magistrate judge, crashed his car on Interstate 25 at the St. Francis Drive exit in February 2023. A Santa Fe Police Department officer reported Khalsa smelled of alcohol at the scene; Khalsa denied having been drinking and refused a blood draw. He was arrested and charged with driving while under the influence, careless driving, and driving with an expired license, and pleaded not guilty at arraignment. The New Mexico Supreme Court suspended Khalsa without pay while the case proceeded. He ultimately agreed to resign after the state's Judicial Standards Commission filed a removal petition with the Supreme Court; under the agreement, the Commission dropped its disciplinary case in exchange for Khalsa's resignation and permanent disqualification from holding judicial office in New Mexico again. In the underlying criminal case, Khalsa later pleaded no contest to DWI, receiving 364 days of probation, 24 hours of community service, and mandatory DWI school.