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Q: If Onuska loses the retention election, what happens?

A: He will serve out the remainder of his term, which expires Dec. 31. A committee composed of lawyers and laymen will be formed to interview candidates who apply for the position. The committee will draw up a list of candidates which it feels are qualified for the position. The governor will then appoint an individual from the list the committee prepares, to serve as district judge for the next two years, when partisan elections will be held. At that point, anyone who meets the statutory requirements to be a district judge may run for the office. The winner of that election will serve the remaining four years of the term. After a judge wins a partisan election, to win an additional term of office he no longer faces an opponent, but he must get at least 57 per cent of the voters in his election to vote "yes" to his retention. The term of office is six years.

Q: My aunt served on a jury in Onuska's court and said he acts like he really knows his business. Is she mistaken?

A: Very. Onuska is a wonderful actor, PR man, and self-promoter. If you want someone to play the part of a very active judge in a movie, Central Casting could not send you a better actor for the part than Paul Onuska. But a real judge must know the law, must have the judgement to apply it to the facts, must be fair, and should run his court with efficiency, courtesy and dignity. Sadly, as this website proves, in all those areas Onuska is grossly deficient.

Q: A lot of the judges in lawyer shows (for example, Law & Order) are pretty curt with attorneys. Aren't judges expected to be jerks?

A: Even the rudest TV judge is not nearly as vicious as Onuska (for example, see "Pit Day"). In the real world, most district judges are very businesslike and pleasant in their dealings with attorneys and witnesses. The New Mexico Code of Judicial Conduct states "A judge shall be patient, dignified and courteous to litigants, jurors, witnesses, lawyers and others with whom the judge deals in the judge's official capacity . . . ."

Q: What is the deadline for registering to vote?

A: Oct. 8, 2002.

Q: When does absentee voting begin, and must one have a reason to vote absentee?

A: Any registered voter may vote absentee, and no health or other reason is required to vote absentee. Absentee voting starts September 26 and ends Nov. 2. You must go to the County Clerk's Office in Aztec or Gallup to vote absentee, except that San Juan County voters may also vote at other locations designated by the clerk from Oct. 16 until Nov. 2. Regular Election Day is Tuesday Nov. 5.