The plaintiff contacted Elane Photography, LLC (defendant) to photograph her commitment ceremony with her female partner. The defendant refused, explaining that same-sex commitment ceremonies conflicted with their personal beliefs. The plaintiff filed a complaint with the New Mexico Human Rights Bureau, who found the defendant to have discriminated against the plaintiff.
In Griego v. Oliver, 2014-NMSC-003, 316 P.3d 865, the New Mexico Supreme Court held that the State Constitution guarantees the right of same-sex couples to marry. The case arose when several same-sex couples, along with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), challenged the refusal of county clerks to issue marriage licenses to same-sex partners.
The New Mexico Human Rights Bureau is the enforcement mechanism for the New Mexico Human Rights Act.
Judge Robert Schwartz, a trial court judge in New Mexico, began a romantic relationship with an assistant public defender who regularly appeared before him. Upon realizing the conflict, Schwartz announced he would rescue himself from two of the assistant defender’s cases. However, he gave false reasons for his recusal and continued to adjudicate other matters involving the same attorney. The assistant public defender had attempted to disclose the relationship and recusal to her supervisor via voice message, underscoring the inherent conflict.
Littell, a paralegal for Allstate’s Albuquerque in-house legal department, alleged that after a new attorney supervisor, Todd Aakhus, was hired in 1998, she endured a hostile work environment marked by sexual innuendo, inappropriate touching, pervasive dirty jokes, and explicit commentary. After reporting the conduct anonymously via Allstate’s hotline, Littell claims Aakus retaliated by subjecting her to harsher treatment, fabricated discipline, public beratement, refusal to leave during a family crisis, and ultimately her constructive discharge in 2002.
In Nava v. City of Santa Fe, the plaintiff, Officer Lorenzo Nava (a female police officer employed since 1993), brought a sexual harassment claim under the New Mexico Human Rights Act, alleging a hostile work environment.
Article II § 18 of the State Constitution of New Mexico states that “No person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law; nor shall any person be denied equal protection of the laws. Equality of rights under law shall not be denied on account of the sex of any person. The effective date of this amendment shall be July 1, 1973.
Created by the New Mexico legislature through Senate Joint Memorial 2 in February of 2024, the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples Task Force is housed within the New Mexico Department of Justice. The task force investigates crimes involving missing and murdered indigenous peoples.
In New Mexico Right to Choose/NARAL v. Johnson, 127 N.M. 654 (1999) the New Mexico Supreme Court held that a state regulation (Rule 766) limiting Medicaid funding for abortions to only cases of rape, incest, or life endangerment, violated the Equal Rights Amendment of the New Mexico Constitution (Art. II, § 18).
Under § 28-1-7 of the New Mexico Human Rights Act it is an unlawful discriminatory practice in the State of New Mexico for employers, labor organizations, public accommodators, housing providers, public contractors, among other providers, to discriminate in employment, housing, credit decisions, or other service decisions on the basis of gender, gender identity, pregnancy status, childbirth, sex, sexual orientation, or related conditions or status.
