I am writing today to announce the closure of the New Mexico Independent. After three and a half years of operation in New Mexico, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news…
While environmental activists played their part yesterday during demonstrations at the capitol building, going so far as to dress up as solar panels and to sing the tune of “You Are My Sunshine,” their counterparts, the anti-cap-and-trade contingency who has…
Roughly one quarter of University of New Mexico students are unimpressed with the state’s flagship public school, according to a survey that questioned college students about their higher education experiences.
As the AP reports today, a voter intimidation lawsuit brought by the Mexican American Legal Defense Fund (MALDEF) was recently dismissed by U.S. District Judge William Johnson because it failed to establish that there was an “imminent harm” to the two women named as plaintiffs.
“The voters who stood up and challenged this intimidation sent a strong message to anybody who is inclined to threaten or intimidate voters during an election,” Nina Perales, the lead attorney for MALDEF, told the Independent today.
On October 27, 2008, MALDEF had filed a federal lawsuit against Pat Rogers, an attorney for the Republican Party of New Mexico and GOP national committeeman, and Al Romero, a private investigator hired by Romero, on behalf of two elderly Hispanic women who claimed the men had intimidated them.
Rogers told the AP the lawsuit was frivolous and said of MALDEF, “They obtained the publicity that they desired.”
Perales said that she was disappointed that the court didn’t get the chance to rule on the merits of the case, but she added, “It is important to send a message so that the next time an election comes around, people know that this won’t be tolerated.”
The suit stemmed from an Oct. 16 press conference at which former state Rep. Justine Fox-Young announced “We are presenting undeniable proof that there was voter fraud in the June election,” and then passed out packets of information that included incompletely redacted copies of voter registration cards, including those of Dora Escobedo and Lydia Olivarez, the two plaintiffs in the MALDEF suit.
One week later, as NMI reported, Romero visited the homes of several newly registered voters, including Escobedo and Olivarez.
According to the complaint, Escobedo, who became a naturalized citizen in 2007 and voted for the first time in the June 2008 primary election, said Romero demanded to see her identification, accused her of being an illegal alien and threatened to call immigration authorities to report her.
“I have not violated any law and Mr. Romero has not violated any law,” Rogers said of the suit in late October, adding, “The lawsuit contains serious accusations that have no basis in law or fact. The suit is filed and advertised before the upcoming election for obvious purposes.”
