Law Office of the Public Defender

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed a bill Monday that amends state law dealing with detaining defendants before they’re given a fair trial. It requires that courts jail people accused of committing a second felony while awaiting trial for a first until a hearing is held to review their conditions of release. The governor and bill sponsor Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto (D-Bernalillo) touted the measure at its signing as a major win for public safety, but it may have little impact.

District Attorney Raul Torrez has sued the 2nd Judicial Court in Albuquerque alleging officials violated the state’s Inspection of Public Records Act by refusing to turn over GPS data for two people on pretrial release. Chief Public Defender Bennett Baur says public access to this data leaves people over-exposed and over-surveilled.

New Mexico’s Law Office of the Public Defender is seeking more funding, but not just for more lawyers. They want to hire more social workers, too. New…

After many attempts over what seems like forever, New Mexico has finally passed a law making recreational cannabis use legal for adults. But the rollout…