Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin
CCNM News:
Common Cause New Mexico filed an amicus curiae (friend of the court) brief Friday with the First Judicial Court in New Mexico in support of three plaintiffs who seek to remove Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin from his office and prevent him from running again because he violated Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S.Constitution.
That provision disqualifies anyone who violates his oath to uphold either the state or national constitution by engaging in insurrection. The provision dates back to the post-civil war era.
The amicus brief follows a court trial in Santa Fe Aug. 15-16, which featured video clips of the Jan. 6 uprising, Griffin’s own social posts, testimony from DC Police and experts in political violence and insurrection.
“Through these ongoing actions, Defendant has demonstrated a comprehensive contempt for the rule of law, providing the Court with compelling evidence of the insurrectionist nature of his conduct on January 6, 2021, and necessitating his removal from public office.”
The brief largely focuses on Griffin’s conduct in New Mexico after Jan. 6. It cites his vote on the Otero County Commission, to not certify the June 7 primary election, despite the Otero County Clerk’s recommendation to do so since there were no discrepancies in the results. Citing discredited conspiracy theories about voting machines, Griffin led the commission in a unanimous vote to impede the laws of New Mexico requiring certification of the canvas within 10 days.
He later defied a writ of mandamus issued by the New Mexico Supreme Court ordering Griffin and his fellow commissioners to certify the election. The brief contains Griffin’s own words as evidence that he is using his position to undermine the rule of law by peddling and amplifying discredited and baseless conspiracy theories.
“I’m not planning to move off my position,” Griffin said. “Why have a commission if we just get overridden by the court system.”
Commenting on the brief, Common Cause Executive Director Heather Ferguson said, “The court is faced with a rogue executive official who is entirely unrepentant regarding his ongoing disregard for his oath of office. Couy Griffin is an insurrectionist who admits there is no clear evidence for his actions but does them anyway out of allegiance to a dangerous political faction and not the state of New Mexico or the United States of America.”
“He must be removed from office and prevented from running again,” Ferguson said.
