3 Las Cruceans among 9 named by governor, legislature to New Mexico Civil Rights Commission

SANTA FE, New Mexico — The New Mexico Civil Rights Commission is now fully staffed following announcements this week from Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and the Legislative Council that they had named the members of the nine-member group.

The Legislative Council appointed six members including attorney Gerald Byers, Dona Ana County Sheriff Kim Stewart and lawyer Denise Torres, all of Las Cruces; attorneys Zackeree Kelin and Mark Baker, of Albuquerque; and state Sen. Steve Neville of Aztec.

Lujan Grisham's appointees included retired state Supreme Court Justice Richard Bosson of Santa Fe; former Belen Police Chief Victor Rodriguez; and current Second Judicial District Chief Judge Stan Whitaker of Albuquerque, who oversees criminal cases.

The panel was created through legislation in June during a special legislative session that focused on state funding fixes prompted by economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. The session also included discussions around policing and racial inequity as protests raged following the death of Minneapolis resident George Floyd in police custody.

Under the legislation, the governor appoints three members and legislative officials appoints six.

Lujan Grisham said in June that the commission will set her policing reform agenda for the 2021 legislative session.

The panel has until Nov. 15 to issue a report that considers changes to qualified immunity provisions that protect police officers from civil lawsuits. It is also tasked with recommending laws that create a civil right of action for violations of state constitutional rights.

The commission is required to be geographically and racially diverse; there are both Black and Hispanic appointees among the the bipartisan commission.

The commission's political makeup includes four Democrats, three Republicans and three unaffiliated members.