News & Commentary

I am a 65 year old Albuquerque resident who is dying from cancer.  I have a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in counseling education.  I worked for 26 years for the Department of Energy here in Albuquerque.  I have a daughter and two granddaughters who live in Albuquerque.

I am 61 years old, I have made my living as an artist for 35 years. I am a member of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe and my wife and son are members of Jemez Pueblo. I have lived in New Mexico for almost 40 years.

SANTA FE, NM—Today, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Mexico and the Disability Rights Legal Center (DRLC) filed a writ with Supreme Court of New Mexico, asking the court to expedite review of Morris v. New Mexico,  the case seeking the right of mentally competent, terminally ill people to seek physician aid in dying. On August 11, the New Mexico Court of Appeals overturned the District Court’s previous decision which stated that aid in dying is a “fundamental right.” The Court of Appeals’ opinion makes the medically sound and safe practice of aid in dying illegal in New Mexico and leaves many terminally ill New Mexicans without the ability to avoid unnecessary suffering at the end of their life.

ALBUQUERQUE, NM—Today, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Mexico responded to the New Mexico Court of Appeals decision overturning the District Court ruling in Morris v. New Mexico, the case seeking the right for mentally competent, terminally ill patients to seek physician aid in dying. In 2014, the New Mexico 2nd District Court ruled that aid in dying is a fundamental right protected by the New Mexico State Constitution.

PDF: INTERIM REPORT OF THE CBP INTEGRITY ADVISORY PANELWASHINGTON, DC - A scathing internal report performed by the

ALBUQUERQUE, NM—Today, pending appeal, the Supreme Court of the United States blocked the implementation of portions of the omnibus anti-abortion bill, HB 2, a Texas law that would force all but 9 clinics in Texas to close. Representatives for clinics in Texas sought the emergency stay from the Supreme Court to prevent the law from going into effect on July 1, and are now preparing to appeal the constitutionality of the Fifth Circuit Appeals Court decision upholding HB 2.

ALBUQUERQUE, NM—Today, the Supreme Court of the United States handed down a historic decision that guarantees same-sex couples the freedom to marry and equal respect for their marriages across America. This ruling is the final nationwide victory to the decades-long freedom to marry movement, ending the state-by-state patchwork of marriage laws and establishing marriage equality as the law of the land.

DEMING, NM — The ACLU of New Mexico today announced a positive resolution to a discrimination complaint made by a group of LGBT customers against the Denny’s restaurant in Deming, NM.  The complaint arose when the individuals alleged that they were refused service because of their sexual orientation and that the group was subjected to discriminatory verbal abuse.  Jim Mathieu, the local franchise owner and operator of the Denny’s restaurant in Deming, engaged in settlement negotiations to show his support for the group and that the restaurant values all of its diverse customers.

Two days before graduating from the State University of New York-Canton with a degree in law enforcement leadership, 21-year-old Jessica Cooke was stopped in her car by Border Patrol agents at a checkpoint on NY Route 37 along the St. Lawrence River’s maritime border with Canada.Ms. Cooke has driven through such checkpoints frequently, and she even completed the first phase of U.S. Customs and Border Protection physical training to apply for a CBP job. As she arrived at the checkpoint, there was no indication she’d crossed the border; indeed, she showed a driver’s license to confirm her identity and stated where she was coming from, which is more information than she’s required to provide.The last thing Ms. Cooke could have ex