SANTA FE, NM — The New Mexico Law Offices of the Public Defender strongly supports the
pro bono lawsuit filed this morning by local and international law firms on behalf of people
incarcerated in state prisons. The suit seeks to improve prison coronavirus safety measures as
soon as possible to prevent further deaths of inmates and community spread. It does not seek
monetary damages.
“A huge number of incarcerated New Mexicans are current or former LOPD clients. When we as
a community incarcerate people, we have a legal and ethical obligation for their health and
welfare. On behalf of all incarcerated New Mexicans and their families, we are in full support of
legal action that might make them safer during this very challenging time,” Chief Public
Defender Bennett Baur said.
LOPD joined the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico and New Mexico Criminal
Defense Lawyers Association in April in an emergency petition to the New Mexico Supreme
Court similarly seeking to protect individuals held in Department of Corrections’ custody from
coronavirus. That suit sought to facilitate adequate social distancing and management of the
coronavirus inside all state facilities by safely reducing inmate populations. The Supreme Court
denied that petition for failing to establish a constitutional violation.
“Very early in the pandemic we understood the risk of an outbreak in New Mexico prisons.
Believing it an emergency, we tried to convince the Supreme Court that the Corrections
Department needed to do more to protect people. It is gratifying to see that an international firm
has taken notice of the situation in New Mexico and dedicated valuable attorney time and
resources to further the cause in ways we simply couldn’t, all pro bono with no money damages
in return. It’s really quite remarkable,” said LOPD Appellate Defender Kim Chavez-Cook.
A copy of the lawsuit is here:
https://www.aclu-nm.org/sites/default/files/field_documents/covid_class_action_complaint.pdf
