Category: Justice New Mexico

Lawmakers consider voting rights

The New Mexico Voting Rights Act is a 45-page bill sponsored by House Democratic leaders, designed to expand and protect the right to vote.

Who paid for Solomon Pena’s campaign

Solomon Pena was booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center early Tuesday morning. Police say he orchestrated a string of drive-by shootings at local politicians’ homes after losing the election for the state House of Representatives.

Before he was accused of orchestrating the shootings at elected officials’ homes, he was able to court an influential New Mexico conservative.

Clemency for Leonard Peltier demanded decades after his incarceration

A demonstrator holds up a sign offering more information about incarcerated Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier at a rally organized by The Red Nation in front of the Pete V. Domenici Courthouse in downtown Albuquerque on the evening of Monday, Feb. 6, 2023 (Photo by Shelby Wyatt for Source NM)

People in Albuquerque joined others across the country demanding the release of Leonard Peltier from federal prison.

“He was meant to be made an example of, to show people this is what happens if you speak out”

UNM reels from violence on campus

Zimmerman Library. Photo by cmh2315fl, Creative Commons.

Most college campuses are relatively safe, but UNM students are anxious about violence after a recent shooting outside the dorms.

John Allen to be BernCo Sheriff

John Allen becomes the first Black Sheriff of Bernalillo County, defeating Republican Paul Pacheco by a 12-point margin.

How will the next New Mexico governor reduce crime?

New Mexico has one of the highest crime rates among all U.S. states. In the race for governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham and Mark Ronchetti have dueling strategies to reduce crime.

Disinformation endangers democracy in NM and beyond, experts say

Voting site in Albuquerque, Election Night, Nov. 2, 2021. (Photo by Marisa Demarco / Source NM)

Conspiracy theories are infecting the election cycle and jeopardizing voting rights. This report by Andrew Beale for Source NM is part of worldwide “Democracy Day” coverage.

Inescapable barbarism: the post cards that promoted lynching

The 1893 lynching of Henry Smith in Paris, Texas in front of a estimated 15,000 witnesses.

Kevin Mullet discusses how postcards were used to spread racism and terror in the United States. His guest is an expert on “lynching photography.”

APD officer calls for accountability all around.

Photo by Kris Klarer / NM News Port

APD Officer Jonathan Cortez has quite the background when it comes to protecting others but he wants the community to help stop crime and understand that officers are human too. Read (and hear) this mini-profile as reported by News Port’s Juan Baeza.