ABA Journal

New Mexico

153 ABA Journal New Mexico articles.

The war on lunch shaming: Policymakers work to protect kids from stigma

When Jennifer Ramo became executive director of the legal nonprofit New Mexico Appleseed in 2009, the Albuquerque Public Schools were making national news for serving cold cheese sandwiches instead of hot meals to kids whose parents were behind on their lunch tab.

Some states are welcoming back ex-offenders to work behind bars

In 2010, Cindy Stubbs was nearing the end of a 14-year sentence in a South Carolina prison, determined never to return. A mother of four, locked up on gun and…

2 New Mexico judges sue state judicial commission to obtain secret courthouse recordings

Two magistrate court judges in Aztec, New Mexico, have sued the New Mexico Judicial Standards Commission in an effort to obtain secret surveillance recordings allegedly made by a judge who…

ICE detention center proposed for rural Wyoming town with no immigration attorneys

A private company has proposed to build an immigration detention center outside Evanston, Wyoming—a town that reportedly has no immigration lawyers and is more than an hour away from the…

When a mental health emergency lands you in jail

Early last year, two suicidal patients showed up at a hospital emergency room in Pierre, South Dakota, seeking help. Although the incidents happened weeks apart, both patients ended up in…

Relatives of undocumented children caught up in ICE dragnet

This summer, a Kansas City man named Edwin got a call from immigration officials. They had picked up his nephew at the southern border and wanted to release the teen…

Legal aid agency serving the Navajo Nation to close 3 offices

A legal aid office serving a heavily Navajo clientele is shutting three of its nine offices for financial reasons, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported Thursday.

DNA-People’s Legal Services…

Serial ADA suits operated like ‘a carnival shell game,’ depriving plaintiff of proceeds, judge says

Ninety-nine lawsuits claiming New Mexico businesses violated the Americans with Disabilities Act should be tossed, according to a recommendation by a federal magistrate judge.

Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen Molzen…

Amazon disputes report that Alexa called 911 during a domestic assault

Sheriff’s deputies in Bernalillo County, New Mexico, were crediting digital assistant Alexa on Monday with initiating a emergency call during a domestic assault–but it couldn’t have happened, according to a…

Justice Department probes alleged abuses on prison transport vans

The Justice Department has opened a preliminary investigation into allegations of abuse by the nation’s largest for-profit extradition company, according to a Colorado man who said he was recently contacted…

New Mexico’s top court should acknowledge excessive PD workloads and craft remedy, ABA says

An amicus brief filed by the ABA says the New Mexico Supreme Court should acknowledge public defenders have excessive caseloads in Lea County and craft a remedy that considers lawyers’ ethical obligations.

Public defender is found in contempt for refusing cases; DA asks state supreme court to intervene

New Mexico’s chief public defender has been found in contempt of court and fined $5,000 for refusing to provide lawyers to represent criminal defendants in five cases because of his…

Officer has immunity for arresting teen for belching at school, 10th Circuit rules

A police officer who arrested an Albuquerque middle school student for repeatedly fake burping during gym class was entitled to qualified immunity, a federal appeals court has ruled.

The Denver-based…

New Mexico top court overturns conviction due to Skype testimony, warns judges about social media

The New Mexico Supreme Court is warning judges about the perils of social media in an opinion that nonetheless sidesteps whether the trial judge’s Facebook posts indicated bias.

The New…

Flat fees for contract public defenders are not unconstitutional, New Mexico Supreme Court says

The Supreme Court of New Mexico ruled Thursday that the state is free to pay flat fees to attorneys contracted as public defenders, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.…

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