New Mexico AG Bars Lawmakers From Standing DA Jobs After 1 Legislator Case
Updated
Updated · Santa Fe New Mexican · Sep 1
New Mexico AG Bars Lawmakers From Standing DA Jobs After 1 Legislator Case
1 articles · Updated · Santa Fe New Mexican · Sep 1
Summary
Monday’s letter from Attorney General Raúl Torrez told New Mexico district attorneys that state lawmakers cannot hold ongoing positions in district attorney offices and that any such employment must end “without delay.”
Torrez said legislators may still serve only occasionally as special prosecutors, drawing a line between limited case-by-case work and a standing office role.
The directive followed controversy over state Rep. Andrea Romero, a Santa Fe Democrat, who The New Mexican reported had worked part-time at the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office since May.
The ruling gives district attorneys statewide a uniform standard on legislative employment in prosecutorial offices as scrutiny grows over potential conflicts between lawmaking and law enforcement roles.