Courts

New Mexico Supreme Court Rules Against Juror Bias Claim By Man Convicted Of Murder

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NMSC News:

SANTA FE — The New Mexico Supreme Court recently rejected claims by a Las Vegas, N.M. man convicted of murder that he received an unfair trial because a juror knew one of the prosecution’s witnesses for at least two decades.

In a unanimous opinion, the state’s highest court concluded that Michael Romero had “failed to show a violation of his Sixth Amendment right to an impartial trial.” 

Romero was sentenced to 20 years in prison for convictions of second-degree murder and evidence tampering for the killing of a friend of his son in 2018. The victim was shot in the head with a sawed-off shotgun Read More

New Mexico Workers’ Compensation Administration Director Announces Judicial Vacancy

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WCA News:

ALBUQUERQUE — New Mexico Workers’ Compensation Administration (WCA) Director Robert E. Doucette, Jr., announced the vacancy of one administrative law judge position in the agency’s Albuquerque office.

Judge Reginald C. Woodard has decided not to seek reappointment. Woodard’s term is set to expire Nov. 24. His last day in the office will be Monday, Oct. 16.

Workers’ compensation judges hear and decide disputes over benefits due to injured workers throughout New Mexico. WCA judicial positions are exempt with an initial one-year appointment and a possible reappointment to a five-year Read More

Judge Grants Preliminary Injunction Against Sawmill Sweet Leaf LLC For Violations Of Cannabis Regulations

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NMRLD News:

SANTA FE — Judge Elaine P. Lujan of the Second Judicial District Court in Bernalillo County issued a preliminary injunction Tuesday against Sawmill Sweet Leaf LLC at 1501 Mountain Dr. NW in Albuquerque.

After hearing arguments presented by Division Counsel, Robert Sachs, the court found that the business posed a clear and immediate threat to public health and safety and therefore must cease and desist all cannabis activity immediately.

“This decision highlights the importance of adhering to legal regulations and ensuring public safety within the cannabis industry,” said New Read More

Governor Appoints Cynthia H. Clark As Grant County Magistrate Court Judge

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Newly appointed Grant County Magistrate Court Judge Cynthia H. Clark

From the Office of the Governor:

SANTA FE — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has appointed Cynthia H. Clark as a Grant County Magistrate Court Judge. 

Clark has been a Staff Attorney with the Sixth Judicial District Court since 2022. Prior to that position, she served as Chief Deputy District Attorney in the Sixth Judicial District. 

Originally from Minnesota, Clark received her Bachelor of Arts in Government from the College of St. Benedict. She graduated from the Hamline University School of Law in St. Paul. She is a member Read More

Governor Appoints Efren Cortez To Fifth District Court

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Fifth Judicial District Court bench

STATE News:

SANTA FE — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has appointed Efren Cortez to the Fifth Judicial District Court bench.  

Cortez, 41, has been an attorney with the City of Hobbs since January 2013. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of the Southwest in Hobbs teaching undergraduate criminology and sociology courses. 

Originally from Hobbs, Cortez received a Bachelor of Science in Political Science and Criminal Justice from Eastern New Mexico University. He graduated from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School at Western Michigan University in Read More

Free Legal Fair Held At Santa Fe County Courthouse

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NMSC News:

SANTA FE — More than 25 people received help with legal issues at a legal fair Friday at the Santa Fe County Courthouse.

Members of the public received a free, 45-minute consultation and were matched with one of 11 volunteer attorneys who offered help with civil and family law subjects including divorce, child custody and support disputes, landlord/tenant disputes, consumer debt, guardianship, name changes, and probate issues.

Providing access to the law and the courts is a fundamental tenet for the First Judicial District Court’s (FJDC) Access to Justice Committee, which organized Read More

FBI: Fargo Man Pleads Guilty To Second Degree Murder And Voluntary Manslaughter In Indian Country

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FBI News:

ALBUQUERQUE — Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, announced that Shilo Aaron Oldrock, 30, and an enrolled member of the Spirit Lake Sioux Tribe, pled guilty in federal court to second degree murder and voluntary manslaughter.

Oldrock will remain in custody pending sentencing which has not been scheduled.

According to court documents, Jan. 29, 2021, Oldrock and John Doe 1 attacked and killed John Doe 2. Later, Oct. 10, 2021, Oldrock Read More

New Mexico Supreme Court Affirms Convictions For 2008 Murder In Bernalillo County

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NMSC News:

SANTA FE — The New Mexico Supreme Court (NMSC) Monday upheld a man’s convictions for first-degree murder and other charges for a 2008 killing in which the victim was shot at least 18 times and his body burned in a sparsely populated area south of Albuquerque known as Pajarito Mesa.

In a unanimous decision, the Court rejected a “novel argument” by Jaime Veleta that a Bernalillo County jury’s verdict was legally inconsistent because he was convicted of first-degree murder but acquitted of the lesser-included offenses of second-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter.

The legal elements Read More

Watchdogs And Redistricting Experts File Brief In Challenge To New Mexico’s Congressional Maps

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CCNM News:

Common Cause New Mexico (CCNM), Election Reformers Network and the League of Women Voters of New Mexico joined with national redistricting experts in filing an amicus brief Tuesday in New Mexico’s Fifth Judicial District in a case challenging the state’s congressional maps.

Plaintiffs in Republican Party of New Mexico et al., v. Maggie Toulouse Oliver, et al., argue that the maps are a partisan gerrymander that violates the state constitution’s equal protection clause.

The amicus brief filed today by the watchdog groups and redistricting experts supports neither party but provides Read More

New Mexico Supreme Court Provides Guidance On Law Enforcement Authority During Traffic Stops

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New Mexico Supreme Court News:

Supreme Court provides guidance on law enforcement authority during traffic stops

SANTA FE – The New Mexico Supreme Court today clarified the authority of law enforcement officers to expand the scope of their investigation during a traffic stop to ask a passenger in a vehicle for identifying information such as a name and a date of birth.

In a unanimous opinion, the Court concluded that a Clovis police officer had the necessary “reasonable suspicion” of criminal activity to ask about the identity of a front seat passenger in a vehicle stopped because of a broken Read More