New Mexico State Attorney General Raul Torrez sent a letter to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham stating that his office would not be defending her administration in lawsuits related to her temporary ban of firearms ordered on September 8, 2023. Torrez wrote, “Though I recognize my statutory obligation as New Mexico’s chief legal officer to defend state officials when they are sued in their official capacity, my duty to uphold and defend the constitutional rights of every citizen takes precedence.” Torrez said the recent tragic deaths of two children to gun violence “should serve as a wakeup call to everyone.” “However,” he wrote to Gov. Grisham, “I encourage you to engage in a more thoughtful and deliberate process with members of the New Mexico Legislature rather than taking unilateral action that infringes on the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens while having little if any discernable impact on the underlying dynamics driving gun violence in our community.”
