Courts

FBI: Santa Fe Man Pleads Guilty To Firearms Offense

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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 FBI Albuquerque Field Office, announced July 14 that Gilbert Michael Coriz pled guilty to being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition.

Coriz, 37, of Santa Fe, will remain in custody pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled.

A federal grand jury indicted Coriz Dec. 8, 2021. According to court records, Jan. 1, 2021, officers from the Santa Fe Police Department responded to a report of shots fired at a residence on Camino Capitan. Read More

Supreme Court Resolves Dispute Over Road Across Private Land For Access To Solar Energy Farm

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NMSC News:

SANTA FE — The state Supreme Court Thursday ruled the public may cross a rancher’s private property on a road in Quay County under a “prescriptive easement” established by decades of uninterrupted travel on the roadway.

The Court’s unanimous opinion resolved a dispute over the right to use a 6-mile-long road – known as Quay Road AI – to access land owned by the state and several other ranchers, including property leased for a solar energy farm near Tucumcari.

The dispute arose after McFarland Land & Cattle Company sought to stop a solar energy developer, Caprock Solar 1, LLC, from Read More

Common Cause Applauds New Mexico Supreme Court’s Recent Landmark Ruling On Redistricting

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CCNM News:

The New Mexico Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling last week that partisan gerrymandering violates the Equal Protection Clause of the New Mexico Constitution.

This decision guarantees protections against the manipulation of voting districts and empowers a trial court to adjudicate Republican Party of New Mexico v. Oliver, a partisan gerrymandering claim arising out of the most recent redistricting cycle.

But the decision isn’t a clearcut victory for anyone except those who want continued legal wrangling and partisan squabbles. 

“While this decision allows an important Read More

Gov. Lujan Grisham Appoints Morgan Wood To Santa Fe County Magistrate Court To Replace Dev Atma S. Khalsa

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COURT News:

SANTA FE — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has appointed Morgan Wood to the Santa Fe County Magistrate Court.

Wood, 49, is a prosecutor in the Children’s Court in the Frist Judicial District in Santa Fe. She started in the office in September 2020. Wood has 18 years of criminal law experience in New Mexico.

Originally from Fort Collins, Colo., Wood received a Bachelor of Arts from Tulane University in New Orleans. She graduated from the University of Denver College of Law in 2004. Wood holds a license to practice law in New Mexico.

Wood fills the vacancy of Dev Atma S. Khalsa, who resigned in Read More

American Federation Of Teachers NM Secures Victory For Educators Wrongfully Terminated For Exercising Protected Rights

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President Whitney Holland

AFT News:

Peñasco — American Federation of Teachers (AFT) New Mexico President Whitney Holland, and Peñasco Federation of United School Employees, Local #4285 (PFUSE) President, Darren Griego, released the following statements:

“Today we are celebrating this important victory on behalf of our members and educators within the Peñasco Independent School District. The judgement by the 8th Judicial District Court is an important reminder that educators have statutory protections under New Mexico law and that engaging in protected activities is a protected Read More

U.S. Supreme Court Keeps State Judicial Oversight In Elections In Major Voting Rights Case

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CCNM News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Supreme Court affirmed today that state courts can hold lawmakers accountable to state laws and constitutions when it comes to election-related cases.

The ruling issued today in Moore v. Harper found the North Carolina Supreme Court was within its powers to strike down an unfair set of congressional maps that harmed Black voters in the eastern part of the state.

The decision is a big victory for voters, given the potential the case had to shatter the checks and balances that are the underpinnings of American democracy.

Representing Common Cause, Neal Katyal Read More

Scenes From Swearing In Ceremony For Ofc. Haneen Kigar

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Haneen Kigar is sworn in as Los Alamos County’s newest police officer by the Honorable Magistrate Judge Catherine Taylor during a special ceremony Friday afternoon at the Justice Center. Photo by John McHale/ladailypost.com

Newly sworn Los Alamos Police Ofc. Haneen Kigar signs paperwork making her new position official. Photo by John McHale/ladailypost.com

Jasper Kigar pins a police officer badge on his wife’s uniform Friday following her swearing in ceremony at the Justice Center. Photo by John McHale/ladailypost.com

Newly sworn Los Alamos Police Ofc. Haneen Kigar poses with her Read More

FBI: Fugitive Extradited From Hungary To Appear In Federal Court In Albuquerque To Face Fraud Charges

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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 FBI Albuquerque Field Office, announced today that Uchenna Christian Nlemchi made his initial appearance June 7 in federal court in Albuquerque after being extradited from Hungary on an indictment charging him with conspiracy, 13 counts of wire fraud, 12 counts of money laundering, aggravated identify theft, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Nlemchi, 31, a Nigerian national, will remain in custody pending trial, which has not Read More

FBI: Dulce Man Pleads Guilty To Abuse 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 FBI Albuquerque Field Office, have announced that Christian Quintana, 34, of Dulce, pled guilty to abusive sexual contact and aggravated sexual abuse in Indian country.

A federal grand jury indicted Quintana Oct. 26, 2021. According to the plea agreement and other court records, between Oct. 2012 and Oct. 2013, Quintana engaged in sexual contact with a child, identified as Jane Doe 1, who at the time was less than 12 years old.

Between Oct. 2019 Read More

FBI: Member Of Navajo Nation Sentenced To 120 Months For Assault With Dangerous Weapon 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 FBI Albuquerque Field Office, has announced that Raydell Billy was sentenced to 90 months in prison for assault with a dangerous weapon in Indian Country and 30 months for violating prior terms of supervised release, with the sentences to run consecutively for a total of 120 months in prison.

Billy, 32, of Shiprock, N.M., and an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, was found guilty of the charge March 8, 2023, by a federal jury sitting in Albuquerque Read More