Justice Department expands legal action against states that have refused its demands for voter data - By Michael Casey, Associated Press
The Justice Department on Tuesday sued six more states in its ongoing campaign to obtain detailed voter data and other election information.
The department announced it was suing Delaware, Maryland, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington over their "failure" to produce statewide voter registration lists. It has portrayed the litigation as part of an effort to ensure the security of elections, but Democratic officials have raised concerns over how the data will be used and whether the department will follow privacy laws in protecting it.
Tuesday's actions bring to at least 14 the number of states the Justice Department has sued in its quest for the voter information.
"Our federal elections laws ensure every American citizen may vote freely and fairly," said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the department's Civil Rights Division. "States that continue to defy federal voting laws interfere with our mission of ensuring that Americans have accurate voter lists as they go to the polls, that every vote counts equally, and that all voters have confidence in election results."
The department has requested the voter data from at least 26 states, according to an Associated Press tally. It's prompted concerns among some election officials because states have the constitutional authority to run elections and federal law protects the sharing of individual data with the government.
It also signals the transformation of the Justice Department's involvement in elections under President Donald Trump.
Many requests included basic questions about the procedures states use to comply with federal voting laws, such as how they identify and remove duplicate voter registrations or deceased or otherwise ineligible voters. Certain questions were more state-specific and referenced data points or perceived inconsistencies from a recent survey from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.
Some states have sent the department redacted versions of their voter lists, which in many cases are also available to the public. But the Justice Department also has requested copies that contain personally identifiable information, including voters' names, birth dates, addresses and driver's license numbers or partial Social Security numbers.
The New Mexico Secretary of State's office said it already provided the Justice Department with voter data that is publicly available, but said it's legally prevented from turning over "personal private voter information," office spokesperson Alex Curtas said in a statement.
Rhode Island Attorney General Attorney Peter Neronha said his office was aware of the lawsuit and called it the "latest example of the weaponization of the Department of Justice to further the Trump administration's unlawful whims."
"We stand with and will defend the secretary, and win, because lawsuits concerning lawful conduct are largely unsuccessful," Neronha said. "But I'm not surprised that this administration is confused about what it means to behave lawfully."
The Justice Department's actions come alongside Trump's push to investigate the 2020 election, which he lost to Democrat Joe Biden, and influence the 2026 midterms.
At the same time, voting rights groups have sued the administration, arguing that recent updates to a federal tool for verifying citizenship could result in voters being unlawfully purged from voter lists.
Last month, 10 Democratic secretaries of state asked the Trump administration to provide more information about its wide-ranging efforts to seek the statewide voter registration lists. They cited concerns that federal agencies have apparently misled them and might be entering the data in a program used to verify U.S. citizenship.
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Associated Press writer Morgan Lee in Santa Fe, New Mexico, contributed to this report.
Albuquerque Police Department sees large decrease in auto thefts so far this year Nakayla McClelland, Albuquerque Journal
Albuquerque, which for years has ranked among the worst in the country for auto theft, saw a sharp drop in vehicles reported stolen so far this year.
The Albuquerque Police Department said Tuesday it had "turned the tide" on auto theft and released statistics showing a 42% drop, year-to-date, compared with 2024. Officials said there had been 3,128 vehicles reported stolen so far this year, compared with 5,437 cases at this same time in 2024.
But the statistics are preliminary and 2025 is not over, with the number of auto thefts still likely to rise: the month of December often sees a spike as thieves target vehicles left to warm up in the driveway.
For the last decade, Albuquerque has consistently landed on the top 10 list of worst cities in the country for auto theft, earning the No. 1 spot in 2016. In 2024, Albuquerque ranked eighth on the list.
While national rankings for auto thefts in 2025 have yet to be released, APD Chief Harold Medina said the city is "on pace" to move off of the top 10 list for the first time in several years.
The more than 5,000 vehicles reported stolen last year is in stark contrast to the 10,000 reported stolen in 2016 — the year Albuquerque was ranked worst in auto theft.
APD spokesperson Rebecca Atkins said officers made 227 arrests in auto theft cases this year, a 22% increase from 2024, when there were 182 such arrests.
During a news conference on Tuesday, Medina said that a combination of technology — including automated license plate readers and drones — have been key to reducing auto theft in the city.
“Critics often say we just need more officers and that technology isn’t the solution, but our officers will tell you the opposite, these tools make them more effective and safer,” Medina said in the news release. “Drones give us instant visibility during searches, the Grappler safely ends dangerous pursuits, and (license plate readers) and bait cars help us get ahead of auto thieves before they strike again."
The bait car program, which began in 2010 with one vehicle stationed in a detective's driveway, has grown dramatically in recent years, he said. This year, bait cars were stolen 42 times and 45 people were arrested in the thefts.
APD highlighted a case of "prolific theft" to tout their success in battling auto theft: 31-year-old James Hamlin.
Authorities locked onto Hamlin in November after an investigation into a stolen truck led back to him, according to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court.
Officers conducted a "long-term" surveillance on a house Hamlin frequented and found six stolen vehicles, 11 firearms, and narcotics during the arrest, according to the release.
Hamlin was wearing an ankle monitor at the time of his arrest, as he was pending trial in a separate auto theft case from 2023.
First snow forecast to hit Albuquerque metro; East Mountains could get a few inches - Gregory R.C. Hasman, Albuquerque Journal
Part of northern New Mexico could receive nearly a foot of snow while Bernalillo County may see anywhere between a dusting and a few inches.
From Wednesday afternoon through Thursday morning, a system will bring heavy snow that could dump about 10 inches in places like Red River and Taos Ski Valley, said Randall Hergert, National Weather Service of Albuquerque meteorologist.
Highs are expected to be in the upper 20s in those places, according to NWS.
The metro area is expected to receive its first snow of the season, he said.
Albuquerque could see between “a trace to a couple of tenths of an inch” of snow while Sandia Crest could get 3 inches. Cedar Crest and other areas off N.M. 14 may receive an inch or two, Hergert said.
Temperatures are predicted to be in the low to mid-40s on Wednesday before dropping into the 20s at night when snow is expected.
Hergert said with the snow could come icy conditions.
“There could be some minor travel impacts, especially along Interstate 40 through Tijeras and near Sedillo Hill,” he said. “Always allow yourself extra time.”
Bernalillo County announced in a social media post that its crews are “ready to keep the 300(-plus) miles of East Mountain roads safe and clear.”
“They’ll tackle the busiest and windiest roads first, then move on to neighborhood areas,” according to the county. “Please be patient, drive carefully, and avoid passing plows while they’re working.”
Before people hit the road, Hergert said, they should brush snow from their car hoods because “that snow can fly off and hit the driver behind you.”
NM Supreme Court denies move to undo governor’s line-item vetoes - Patrick Lohmann, Source New Mexico
The New Mexico Supreme Court on Tuesday issued an order declining to repeal several line-item vetoes Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham struck from legislation lawmakers approved during a recent special legislative session.
Duke Rodriguez, a prominent statewide cannabis executive and possible Republican gubernatorial candidate, filed a lawsuit in mid-October asking the Supreme Court to disallow the governor from striking certain language from a spending bill the Legislature approved in October to counteract anticipated effects from the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” President Donald Trump signed in July.
The Legislature approved $162 million in state funding to counteract federal cuts to Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and health insurance tax credits. When lawmakers sent that bill to the governor for her signature, she signed it except for what she described as “minor” but necessary changes to counteract “provisions that unduly constrain the Executive Department’s ability to assist New Mexicans.”
The bill awarded $12 million to the state Health Care Authority “to maintain the minimum federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefit for elders and people with disabilities.” But the governor struck the words “minimum federal.”
She also struck language regarding approximately $6 million aimed at replenishing funding local public broadcasters lost when Congress cut funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. She removed requirements that the unexpended funding to the state finance and Indian Affairs departments be returned to the general fund, and she removed language requiring the funding to be spent within the next two fiscal years.
Rodriguez’s lawsuit, filed with the help of attorney and former lawmaker Jacob Candelaria, argued that each of those vetoes “distorts legislative intent and is therefore an unconstitutional attempt by the Executive to substitute her policy-making judgment for that of the people’s elected representatives.”
The governor’s office responded in court in early November that the lawsuit was meritless, arguing that Rodriguez lacked standing to bring the lawsuit and also that the governor’s vetoes sought only to make it easier for her and the agencies she oversees to implement the Legislature’s intent.
“At the end of the day, the funds will still be spent on the exact programs the Legislature wanted to fund; the Governor merely struck language that could cause the funds to be spent in an inefficient manner,” Holly Agajanian, chief general counsel for the governor, wrote.
The Supreme Court, in a brief order issued Tuesday, did not specify why it ruled against Rodriguez, simply stating that the Court was denying Rodriguez’s request after having “considered the petition and being sufficiently advised.”
Rodriguez, in a statement Tuesday to Source New Mexico, said he respects the Court’s decision but wishes the Court had issued a “full opinion,” rather than an unexplained order, to address issues he deems critical, including who has standing to challenge executive orders and the “true scope of a sitting governor’s veto authority.”
“Without clearer legal guidance, it is evident that a sitting governor may exert significant influence over — and potentially reshape — the actions of future Legislatures,” he said in an email. “That reality raises the stakes for New Mexico.”
The continued ambiguity, he said, means the “next election will matter even more than many realize. This may be the final push I needed to officially enter this race.”