Courts

Supreme Court Rules In Taos Attorney’s Contempt Case

by

NMSC News:

SANTA FE — State courts can order fines for contempt payable to a third party such as the New Mexico State Bar Foundation, the Supreme Court ruled today.

In a unanimous decision, the Court concluded that it was permissible for a district court to order a Taos attorney to pay a $1,000 contempt fine to the State Bar Foundation, which performs public service and educational work to promote access to civil legal services.

The district court imposed the fine on attorney Alan Maestas after finding him guilty of direct, punitive contempt for refusing court orders to proceed to trial in a criminal Read More

FBI: U.S. Attorney’s Office Secures Guilty Plea From Shiprock Woman In Navajo Nation DUI Crash

by

FBI News:

ALBUQUERQUE — A Shiprock woman pleaded guilty in Federal Court to assault resulting in serious bodily injury after driving while intoxicated and causing a crash that severely injured two children on the Navajo Nation.

According to court documents, April 23, 2023, Jazmyne Deschinny, 22, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, was driving a sedan carrying eight people within the exterior boundaries of the Navajo Nation. Deschinny was heavily intoxicated, with a blood alcohol level of 0.264, which is more than three times the legal limit in New Mexico. She also had opiates and cannabinoids Read More

Robinson: New Mexico Doctors – ‘We Are Exhausted And Demoralized’

by

By SHERRY ROBINSON
All She Wrote
© 2024 New Mexico News Services

Five progressives killed the medical malpractice bill.

You might say the trial lawyers got their money’s worth. You might say it’s late in the session and everybody’s getting tired and cranky. You could even observe that the strife of national politics has haunted this legislative session. It would all be true.

But there’s another element that’s more troubling, and that’s denial and willful ignorance.

New Mexico doesn’t have enough doctors. It’s a national problem, but it’s worse here. In recent years New Mexico was the ONLY state Read More

Dannemann: The Trial Lawyer Argument Is Bogus

by

By MERILEE DANNEMANN
© 2025 by Merilee Dannemann

In New Mexico, there aren’t enough doctors. There aren’t enough nurses. There aren’t enough hospitals, especially in small towns. There aren’t enough patients paying full price for their healthcare and too many on Medicaid.

You probably already know this. We talk about it all the time.  

Two other factors contribute to this crisis. One is the presence of private for-profit ownership of hospitals and the other is our high rate of malpractice insurance.

But one of these two issues is claiming to be the solution to the other one, and that is pure nonsense. Read More

Governor Appoint Two Judges To Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court

by

Judge Andrea Gunderson

STATE News:

SANTA FE — New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has announced the appointment of two judges to fill vacancies on the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court following the retirements of Honorable Linda S. Rogers and Honorable Frank A. Sedillo.

A graduate of the University of New Mexico School of Law, Andrea Gunderson, of Albuquerque, currently serves as a special commissioner on the 2nd Judicial District Court conducting hearings on behalf of District Children’s Court Judges in areas of abuse and neglect, juvenile delinquency, and mental health commitments, Read More

Judge Declares Mistrial In Local Perjury Case

by

Staff Report:

When jurors were unable to agree unanimously on a verdict in a perjury trial held last week in District Court in Los Alamos, Judge Jason Lidyard declared a mistrial.

The case involved former Los Alamos Police Det. Matthew Lyon and whether he was being truthful when testifying under oath in 2023 that he did not fraternize with confidential informants related to a drug trafficking case against Eric Greene of White Rock. The charge of perjury is a fourth-degree felony punishable by up to 18 months in prison.

Lyon testified that he did answer truthfully because while he did fraternize Read More

After Weeks Of Waiting, Lawmakers Set To Consider Key Medical Malpractice Reform Bill For New Mexico

by

Sen. Linda López
Chair
Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee

By MARGARET O’HARA
The Santa Fe New Mexican

Why the wait?

Senate Bill 176, a major piece of medical malpractice legislation, was introduced just days after the start of this year’s legislation session.

And since the session’s start, New Mexico lawmakers from both parties have listed reforms to the medical malpractice system among their top priorities, framing the issue as a major step toward alleviating the state’s acute shortage of health care providers.

Though the proposal has garnered strong opposition from medical malpractice Read More

House Passes Bill To Help Solve Cold Cases In New Mexico

by

NMDP News:

SANTA FE — March 10, the House of Representatives passed legislation to help law enforcement solve cold cases in New Mexico, by a unanimous vote. 

House Bill 340 would allow the DNA of deceased individuals who were arrested for a felony, but passed away before being charged, to be entered into the federal CODIS (Combined DNA Index System) database. The individual’s DNA could then be reviewed to see if it is a match on any unsolved cases. 

This legislation comes on the heels of the 16th anniversary of Albuquerque’s West Mesa murders. Feb. 2, 2009, the bodies of 11 young women were discovered Read More

FBI: U.S. Attorney’s Office Secures Guilty Plea In 2022 Navajo Nation Murder Case

by

FBI News:

ALBUQUERQUE — A Navajo man pleaded guilty in federal court to second degree murder and firearms charges stemming from a fatal shooting in 2022.

According to court documents, July 26, 2022, officers from the Navajo Nation Police Department responded to reports of a shooting near Ojo Encino.

Upon arrival, officers discovered John Doe deceased at the scene with a gunshot wound to his chest and right arm. Witnesses identified Jason Lee Martinez, 51, a member of the Navajo Nation, as the shooter, who fled immediately after the incident.

Investigators recovered seven .40 caliber bullet Read More