Courts

Gov. Lujan Grisham Appoints Benjamin Scott Cross Of Clovis To Judgeship Vacancy On Ninth Judicial District Court

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Benjamin Scott Cross

STATE News:

SANTA FE — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Friday the appointment of Benjamin Scott Cross of Clovis to fill a judgeship vacancy on the Ninth Judicial District Court.

Cross has worked as an attorney with the Ninth Judicial District Court since 2011. His work there has included overseeing the court’s mediation and self-represented litigant programs, as well as providing legal advice, performing legal research and drafting legal opinions.

Cross is a 1998 graduate of Clovis High School. He graduated from the University of New Mexico School of Law in 2006 Read More

New Mexico Judiciary Implements 24/7 Alert System Plan For Defendants With Electronic Monitoring Devices

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Office of the Supreme Court of New Mexico. Courtesy photo 

COURT News:

SANTA FE — The New Mexico Judiciary has announced a plan for around-the-clock monitoring of an alert system for felony defendants wearing a GPS device that tracks their location while awaiting trial in Bernalillo County.

“This improvement supports public safety by helping courts and law enforcement respond promptly to alerts 24/7 when an electronic monitor indicates defendants violated court-imposed restrictions on their movement in the community,” Chief Justice Michael Vigil said.

Newly hired pretrial services Read More

Heinrich, Luján Announce Senate Confirmation Of Attorney Margaret Strickland For U.S. District Judge In New Mexico

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Margaret Strickland

U.S. SENATE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) voted Tuesday to confirm Margaret Strickland of Las Cruces to serve as a U.S. District Judge for the District of New Mexico.

Earlier this year, the senators recommended that President Joe Biden nominate Strickland for this seat, which is based in Las Cruces. The Senate voted to confirm Strickland by a final vote of 52 to 45.

In advance of the vote, Sen. Heinrich gave a speech on the Senate Floor in support of Strickland. “In Margaret Strickland, President Biden has nominated Read More

Study: Pretrial Justice Improvements Working In New Mexico

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Administrative Office of the Courts Director Artie Pepin

Office of the Courts News:

SANTA FE — Improvements to New Mexico’s pretrial practices are working to promote community safety and honor the constitutional principles of the American justice system, Administrative Office of the Courts Director Artie Pepin said Wednesday.

“All New Mexicans share a concern about crime. The evidence from research clearly shows that the great majority of people released pending trial are not committing new crimes,” Pepin said.

He pointed to a study by University of New Mexico researchers that Read More

DEA: National Health Care Fraud Enforcement Action Results In Charges Involving Over $1.4 Billion In Alleged Losses

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DEA Administrator Anne Milgram

DEA News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Department of Justice announced today criminal charges against 138 defendants, including 42 doctors, nurses, and other licensed medical professionals, in 31 federal districts across the United States, for their alleged participation in various healthcare fraud schemes that resulted in approximately $1.4 billion in alleged losses.

The charges target approximately $1.1 billion in fraud committed using telemedicine (the use of telecommunications technology to provide health care services remotely), $29 million in Read More

FBI: Syndicato De Nuevo Mexico Prison Gang Member ‘Baby G’ Of Albuquerque Gets 17 Years In Prison For Racketeering

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FBI News: 

ALBUQUERQUE — Jonathan James “Baby G” Gomez, 39, of Albuquerque was sentenced Aug. 23 to 17 years and seven months in prison for racketeering conspiracy. Gomez pleaded guilty Sept. 25, 2020.

According to court records, from 2004 to September of 2019, Gomez was a member of the Syndicato de Nuevo Mexico (SNM) prison gang while in the New Mexico Corrections Department prison system.

Gomez acknowledged that SNM is an ongoing criminal organization whose members, prospects and associates engage in acts of violence and other criminal activity including murder, kidnapping and conspiracy Read More

Heinrich, Luján Welcome Nomination Of David Herrera Urias For U.S. District Court For The District Of New Mexico

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David Herrera Urias

U.S. SENATE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) welcomed President Joe Biden’s recent nomination of David Herrera Urias for U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico.

“We are very pleased that President Biden has accepted our strong recommendation to nominate David Herrera Urias to join the District Court of New Mexico,” Heinrich and Luján said. “Over the course of his legal career, Mr. Urias has built an impressive reputation as he has successfully litigated cases before state and federal courts, Read More

New Mexico Supreme Court Rules Vehicle Taillights Need Not Be Working ‘Perfectly’ To Comply With State Law

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SUPREME COURT News:

SANTA FE – The New Mexico Supreme Court ruled today that each bulb in a taillight does not have to be illuminated to comply with a New Mexico law requiring a motor vehicle’s equipment to be in “good working order”.

The Court’s unanimous decision came in an Albuquerque man’s appeal of convictions for drunken driving and operating a vehicle with defective equipment. The defendant, John Farish, contended a sheriff’s deputy illegally stopped him because of a burned-out taillight bulb. The upper bulb was not working but the lower bulb was emitting light.

“This case reminds us Read More

New Mexico Magistrate Judges Association Elects Officers

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Newly elected NMMJA President Judge Warren Walton 

NMMJA News:

SANTA FE — The New Mexico Magistrate Judges Association (NMMJA) has elected new officers and board members to serve one-year terms.

Colfax County Magistrate Court Judge Warren Walton of Raton was elected president, Eddy County Magistrate Court Judge Jimmie “Chuck” Foster in Artesia was elected vice-president, and past association president, Los Alamos County Magistrate Court Judge Pat A. Casados was selected as secretary/treasurer.

Retired Valencia County Magistrate Judge Tina Garcia will serve as pro tem board member. Read More

FBI: Socorro Woman Sentenced To 16 Years In Prison For Federal Drug And Firearms Conviction

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FBI News:

ALBUQUERQUE — Mary Gonzales, 50, of Socorro was sentenced Aug. 18 to 16 years and three months in prison.

March 10, a jury returned a guilty verdict on all counts, including one count each of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams and more of methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute heroin, being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

According to court records, June 7, 2018, a Socorro County Deputy observed Gonzales conducting what appeared to be a hand-to-hand drug sale in Socorro. Read More