News & Commentary

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M—Today, the New Mexico Supreme Court issued an order setting a hearing for October 23, 2013 to consider a request by the New Mexico Association of Counties that the court immediately decide whether New Mexico law permits same-sex couples to marry. All 33 county clerks in the state joined in the Association’s request that the Supreme Court resolve the issue.

Today I am celebrating my mother’s life and thinking about the comfort her choice of physician-aid-in-dying has brought to me over the years.  On my walk this morning I had a big smile on my face thinking of my time with her at the end of her life.

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ALBUQUERQUE, NM—Today, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Mexico applauded the Santa Fe District Court’s decision to allow loving, committed same-sex couples marry in Santa Fe County. Among those who were married were ACLU-NM marriage plaintiffs Jen Roper and Angelique Neuman. The couple has been together for 21 years, and Jen is currently suffering from a life-threatening form of brain cancer. The following statement can be attributed to ACLU-NM Executive Director Peter Simonson:

SANTA FE, NM—Today, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Mexico, the national ACLU, and the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) filed an emergency request with New Mexico’s Second Judicial District Court to allow a Pojoaque same-sex couple, Jen Roper and Angelique Neuman, to legally marry immediately because Jen suffers from a severe medical condition that may prove fatal in the near future.  Jen suffers from a life-threatening form of brain cancer, and her health has deteriorated severely in the past few months. Today’s request seeks an emergency order from the court that would allow the couple to marry so that their three children will be legally protected should Jen pass away.  

ALBUQUERQUE, NM—This morning, same sex couples in Doña Ana County began receiving marriage licenses after County Clerk Lynn Ellins announced his office would issue them. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Mexico and the National Center for Lesbian Rights, two of the organizations litigating a case in the New Mexico courts seeking the freedom to marry for same-sex couples, responded:

ALBUQUERQUE, NM—Yesterday, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Mexico and the City of Albuquerque settled a lawsuit claiming that the Police Oversight Commission unconstitutionally suppressed the speech of several citizens during a meeting last December. The plaintiffs in this case, Charles Arasim, Kenneth Ellis, Silvio Dell’Angela and Eli Chavez, are all community advocates against police use of excessive force. The settlement raises several procedural reforms to the Commission’s rules designed to promote the right to free speech and citizen involvement  and a sum of $14,000 in damages and attorneys’ fees.