Courts

It’s Official: Los Alamos Deputy Police Chief Oliver Morris

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Magistrate Court Pat Casados swears in new Los Alamos Deputy Police Chief Oliver Morris today at the Justice Center. Photo by John McHale/ladailypost.com

New Los Alamos Deputy Police Chief Oliver Morris signs official documents following his swearing in ceremony today in Magistrate Court. Photo by John McHale/ladailypost.com

Kateri Morris pins the badge on her husband, newly promoted Deputy Police Chief Oliver Morris today during a promotion ceremony in Magistrate Court at the Justice Center. Photo by John McHale/ladailypost.com

Gathered in Magistrate Court today fof his promotion Read More

Reilly: We Have A Lawyer Problem…

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By DOUGLAS REILLY
Los Alamos

We have a lawyer problem. It’s not just too many; it’s where they are and what they’re taught.

The American Bar Association says there are four lawyers for every thousand people; that’s 0.4 percent. The percentage of lawyers in our congress is 40 percent. Imagine if we had a representative distribution of work categories in congress.

Congress would have almost no lawyers; however, It would have more agriculture, manufacturing, and construction workers, and many more service sector workers. Physicists represent 0.003 percent of the population; it would be unlikely Read More

New Mexico LFC Report Fleshes Out Crime Surge

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The Roundhouse in Santa Fe. Post file photo

By ROBERT NOTT
Santa Fe New Mexican

Lawmakers looking to push through an array of “tough on crime” bills got some legislative ammunition to support their cause this week.

The Legislative Finance Committee (LFC) released a memo to Rep. Patti Lundstrom, chair of the committee, saying violent crime rates are going up, and not just in Albuquerque.

The memo says at least 20 New Mexico communities — including Gallup and Albuquerque — have experienced increases in violent crimes.

Santa Fe was not among those cities.

The LFC document says Albuquerque’s Read More

ABA SCLAID Finds Deficiencies In Its Workload Study Of New Mexico Public Defense System

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ABA President Reginald Turner

ABA News:

WASHINGTON — The American Bar Association (ABA) Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defense (SCLAID) and the Seattle-based accounting and consulting firm Moss Adams LLP released findings Friday of a joint study of workloads of state public defense attorneys in New Mexico.

The findings show a systemic deficiency exists for the residents of the state who need public defense.

The principal findings of the study are: 

  • At a consistent annual workload, the state’s Law Offices of the Public Defender (LOPD) is deficient 602 full-time-equivalent
Read More

Hope Christian School To Pay $5,000 COVID Fine

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PED News:

SANTA FE – The New Mexico Public Education Department (PED) has announced that New Mexico’s largest private school has agreed to pay a $5,000 civil penalty for violating the state’s public health order requiring everyone on campus to wear a face covering to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

Albuquerque’s Hope Christian School, which has almost 1,400 students enrolled in grades pre-K through 12, said in a Jan. 12 letter that it was dropping a request for an evidentiary hearing and paying the proposed fine.

The letter was signed by Matthew Spangler, the school’s lawyer, and sent to Craig Read More

Attorney General Balderas Seals Victory For New Mexico; Enters $5 Billion Opioid Settlement With Johnson & Johnson

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Attorney General Hector Balderas

AG News:

ALBUQUERQUE — Attorney General Hector Balderas announced Friday that New Mexico will join in a $5 billion nationwide settlement with drug maker Johnson & Johnson and two related companies, resolving allegations that the companies fueled the opioid crisis in the state.

The companies have agreed to pay New Mexico its share of the settlement in full, in 2022, if all eligible New Mexico county and city governments sign onto the deal by May 31, 2022.

Most other states will be paid over the course of several years.

“Opioids have destroyed families in New Read More

Albuquerque FBI: Man From Saudi Arabia Sentenced To 30 Months In Federal Prison For Illegal Possession Of Firearm And Ammunition

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FBI News:

ALBUQUERQUE – Hassan Alqahtani, 29, of Saudi Arabia, was sentenced Jan. 6 in federal court to two years and six months in prison for being an alien in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

A jury convicted Alqahtani May 14, 2021.

According to a criminal complaint and other court records, the FBI received a tip Aug. 8, 2019, about Alqahtani, a citizen of Saudi Arabia, illegally possessing a firearm and making threats. Law enforcement executed a search warrant Dec. 12, 2019, at Alqahtani’s residence and discovered a loaded firearm and ammunition.

As an international student on a F1 student Read More

FBI: Mescalero Man Gets 10 Years For Abusing A Child

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FBI News:

ALBUQUERQUE — James Darius Caje, 28, of Mescalero, New Mexico, and an enrolled member of the Mescalero Apache Tribe, was sentenced Jan. 11 in federal court to 10 years in prison for sexual abuse of a minor.

Caje pleaded guilty June 10, 2021.

According to the plea agreement and other court records, on the night of Feb. 24 or early morning Feb. 25, 2020, Caje allegedly entered the bedroom of the victim, who was 14 years old, and sexually assaulted her.

The following day, the victim reported the assault to a school counselor, who then reported it to law enforcement. The assault occurred on the Read More

New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas Announces $1.85 Billion Settlement With Student Loan Servicer Navient

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Attorney General Hector Balderas

From the Office of the Attorney General:

…Settlement includes $1.7 billion in debt cancellation and $95 million in restitution; New Mexico will receive more than $10.2 million as a result of the settlement

ALBUQUERQUE – Attorney General Hector Balderas announced today that Navient, known as one of the nation’s largest student loan servicers, will provide relief totaling $1.85 billion to resolve allegations of widespread unfair and deceptive student loan servicing practices and abuses in originating predatory student loans.

This settlement, Read More

State Bar Of New Mexico Announces 2022 Officers

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Secretary-Treasurer Erin Atkins, left, and President Carolyn Wolf. Courtesy/State Bar

Justice Briana H. Zamora, Justice David K. Thomson, State Bar Secretary-Treasurer Carolyn Wolf, Justice C. Shannon Bacon and Justice Julie J. Vargas. Courtesy/State Bar

President Carolyn Wolf is sworn in by New Mexico Supreme Court Justice Shannon Bacon. Courtesy/State Bar

State Bar Of New Mexico News:

ALBUQUERQUE — The State Bar of New Mexico announces its 2022 leadership:

President Carolyn A. Wolf (Santa Fe), President-Elect Benjamin I. Sherman (Albuquerque) and Secretary-Treasurer Erinna Read More