Robert H. Jacobvitz
How Judge Jacobvitz rules, drawn from 29 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
About Judge Jacobvitz
Robert H. Jacobvitz has served as a United States Bankruptcy Judge for the District of New Mexico since August 2009 and currently serves as chief judge. Before joining the bench, he practiced bankruptcy law in Albuquerque and taught at the University of New Mexico School of Law. He earned degrees from the University of Colorado and the University of Iowa College of Law.
Judge Jacobvitz's practices and standing orders
Rules for cases before Judge Jacobvitz, as published on the court's website (checked October 11, 2026). Judges revise these often, so confirm the current version on the court's site before you file.
Key rules
Motions
When a motion is not enclosed with its notice, describe the requested relief sufficiently to give parties in interest a fair opportunity to object.
“If the motion is not enclosed with the notice, the notice must contain a sufficient disclosure of the relief requested in the motion to give the parties in interest receiving the notice a fair opportunity to object.”
Motions
A notice of a stay-relief and abandonment motion that omits the motion must disclose the requested stay relief, property, abandonment, and any request to waive the 14-day stay.
“If a copy of the Motion is not served with the notice, the notice of the motion will be considered deficient unless a. it discloses that the creditor seeks relief from the stay; b. discloses the scope of the requested stay relief; c. describes the property with respect to which stay relief is requested; d. discloses that the creditor seeks abandonment of the property; and e. discloses that the creditor, pursuant to Rule 4001(a)(3), seeks a waiver of the 14-day stay following entry of the stay relief order.”
Motions
For a utility-service motion, a notice that omits the motion must identify each affected provider and the proposed adequate assurance of payment.
“Unless a copy of the Motion is served with the notice, the notice of the motion will be considered deficient unless a. it identifies each utility provider that would be bound by the order; and b. specifically describes the adequate assurance of payment the debtor proposes to provide to each utility provider.”
Standing orders for every case in this court
Orders the court applies to all of its cases, whichever judge has them, as published on the court's website (checked October 11, 2026).
How Judge Jacobvitz decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
A developed service record defeated a claim that a default judgment was void for lack of personal jurisdiction.
“This Court has personal jurisdiction over Mr. Toribio and the Default Judgment entered against him is not void for lack of proper service.”
Back-to-back bankruptcy filings did not establish bad faith when the later filing preserved a lien-avoidance opportunity lost through unexpected case closure.
“Under these circumstances, the Court concludes that Debtor’s filing of the Third Case and Fourth Case was not part of a scheme to delay, hinder, or defraud Creditors.”
Procedural preferences
A state court was the preferred forum for continuing collection against a non-debtor entity after entering the underlying judgment.
“the State Court is the appropriate place for FCM to pursue collection remedies against AutoDoc, a non-debtor co-defendant.”
Cautions
An entity must establish valid authority existing on the petition date; post-petition efforts did not cure the defect.
“What is clear is that Daniel Galvan did not have that authority on June 5, 2025, and that Debtor’s subsequent efforts to demonstrate its authority to file bankruptcy as of the petition date have failed.”
A party relying on medical conditions for an undue-hardship claim risked evidence preclusion if it refused ordered medical discovery.
“If the Court imposes this sanction, Plaintiff will not be able to rely on any medical conditions to support her claim that repayment of the student loan debt will cause her an undue hardship.”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“The Court will enter a separate order consistent with this Memorandum Opinion denying the Motion to Set Aside Default Judgment.”
“Based on the foregoing, the Court will deny Century Bank’s Emergency Motion to Appoint Chapter 11 Trustee.”
“The Court will enter a separate order denying relief from the stay.”
“The Court will, therefore, sustain FNB’s objection to confirmation, and deny confirmation of Debtor’s chapter 13 plan, without prejudice to the filing of an amended plan.”
“For the reasons stated above, the Court will enter an order remanding this adversary proceeding to the State Court.”
“Because the District Court ruled on appeal that the Plan administrative claim bar date did not apply to the County’s claim and this Court has denied the laches defense, the Court will allow the County’s administrative expense claim for 2018 Livestock Taxes in the amount claimed.”
“Consistent with this Memorandum Opinion the Court will enter separate orders 1) denying Mr. Lincoln’s Motion for Jurisdictional Discovery and Evidentiary Hearing; and 2) granting the Motion to Remand, in part, and remanding the Disciplinary Proceeding to the Supreme Court for the State of New Mexico.”
“Based on the foregoing, the Court concludes that Debtor is entitled to avoid DNCU’s judicial lien in its entirety pursuant to § 522(f).”
“ORDERED FURTHER, that the request in Count I of the Complaint for the Court to determine that the Writ of Garnishment is void for lack of jurisdiction is DENIED.”
“WHEREFORE, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that the Motion to Compel is GRANTED, in part, as follows:”
“For the reasons set forth in this Memorandum Opinion, the Court will enter an order denying the Summary Judgment Motion without prejudice.”
“Because Rainier and Wais are the only objecting parties and they do not have the Right to be Heard on their Objection to the Motion to Sell, the Court will grant the Motion.”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
All five sampled matters were recorded as terminated, with a median recorded duration of 98 days. Their public entry streams contained zero retained entries, so no motion result or latency was inferred.
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