Civil Rights

Earlier this year, a prison in New Mexico made the news because of a lawsuit filed by an inmate. The lawsuit alleges the inmate suffered horrifying levels of abuse at the hands of guards. Prisoners are guaranteed rights – just like everyone else – by the Eight...

It is generally possible to sue an individual or business entity in civil court if they breach the terms of a contract, cause someone to suffer injuries or otherwise infringe upon their legal rights. However, the process of suing federal entities – and employees of...

Two years ago, when New Mexico enacted its Civil Rights Act, the governor and others asserted that our state had abolished qualified immunity. The concept of qualified immunity has come under considerable fire in recent years because it prevents individual government...

Law enforcement officers – both state and federal – are trained to enforce the law and keep the public safe. While performing their duties, however, these public servants are required to adhere to certain rules. If law enforcement conducts a search and seizure on your...

There are times when driving down the road that we can come up with a possible explanation for flashing red and blue lights in the review mirror — maybe we were driving a little too fast or chose to go through a yellow light instead of stopping. But what about times...

The New Mexico legislature has made great strides in criminal justice reform and civil rights this session. One area of reform was the elimination of all court, conviction and bench warrant fees in the criminal courts. This new law refers to the fees being charged of...

The Department of Homeland Security was created after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in part to gather intelligence about plots to commit further terrorism on U.S. soil. States like New Mexico similarly created their own versions of DHS. However, the original mission...

The Fourteenth Amendment is one of the most essential parts of the U.S. Constitution from a civil rights perspective. Along with establishing the right of every American to due process, the amendment contains the Equal Protection Clause. This clause has dramatically...