SANTA FE – New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed civil rights reforms Wednesday that eliminate police immunity from prosecution in state courts, in response to protests and concerns about police brutality that have swept the nation.
Lujan Grisham signed the Democrat-sponsored bill amid the trial of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on murder charges in the May 25, 2020, death of George Floyd. Video of Floyd, losing consciousness while pinned to the pavement by police officers, triggered a national reckoning over racism and police brutality.
¨This is not an anti-police bill,” Lujan Grisham said in a news release. “This bill does not endanger any first responder or public servant so long as they conduct themselves professionally within the bounds of our constitution and with a deep and active respect for the sacred rights it guarantees all of us.”
New Mexico Eliminates Police Immunity From Prosecution -
By Morgan Lee Associated Press
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed civil rights reforms Wednesday that eliminate police immunity from prosecution in state courts, in response to protests and concerns about police brutality that have swept the nation.
Lujan Grisham signed the Democrat-sponsored bill amid the trial of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on murder charges in the May 25, 2020, death of George Floyd. Video of Floyd, losing consciousness while pinned to the pavement by police officers, triggered a national reckoning over racism and police brutality.
¨This is not an anti-police bill, Lujan Grisham said in a news release. This bill does not endanger any first responder or public servant so long as they conduct themselves professionally within the bounds of our constitution and with a deep and active respect for the sacred rights it guarantees all of us.
By Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press
New Mexico health officials on Wednesday reported more progress in getting residents vaccinated as the state continues to lead the U.S. in the vaccine rollout.
State Health Secretary Dr. Tracie Collins said 50% of residents 16 and older have received their first shot and 31% are fully vaccinated. The latest figures come as other states look to expand distribution beyond health care workers and other priority groups to meet an April 19 deadline from the Biden administration.
While New Mexico opened up eligibility Monday, Collins said priority will still be given to those who are 75 and older and other senior citizens who have chronic conditions that put them at greater risk.
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New Mexico Enacts Landmark Qualified Immunity Reform Legislation for All Public Officials SHARE
Today, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed into law House Bill 4, otherwise known as the New Mexico Civil Rights Act. This landmark piece of legislation creates a state‐law cause of action against any public official who violates someone’s rights under the New Mexico State Constitution, and it specifically provides that qualified immunity is
not available as a defense. The statute is therefore quite similar to both Colorado’s Law Enforcement Integrity and Accountability Act, enacted in June 2020, and the civil‐rights legislation approved by the New York City Council last month, both of which also created causes of action that do not allow qualified immunity. But whereas the Colorado and NYC bills were both limited to police officers, the New Mexico Civil Rights Act applies more broadly to