State v. Pacheco

OPINION

CHÁVEZ, Chief Justice.

{1} In this ease, an interpreter was sworn to interpret for two non-English speaking jurors throughout the court proceedings. Defendant appealed his convictions asserting that the interpreter should not have been present during jury deliberations without being given an additional instruction not to participate in the deliberations. The New Mexico Court of Appeals agreed in a majority opinion, holding that the trial court should have given a pre-deliberation instruction to the interpreter as suggested by the Non-English Speaking Juror Guidelines (NES Guidelines).…