The Republican Party of New Mexico (“RPNM”) issued a press release yesterday (3/6/2025) regarding the New Mexico Supreme Court’s 3-2 split decision in Amdor v. Grisham, which upheld most of Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s sweeping public health emergency orders from 2023 while striking down the suspension of the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative.
The RPNM, alongside Republican legislators and gun rights advocates, filed this lawsuit in September 2023 to challenge Governor Lujan Grisham’s alleged unconstitutional overreach, including her attempt to ban the legal carrying of firearms in public spaces under the guise of a “public health emergency.” Although the governor’s 2023 orders have expired, the RPNM believes that they set a dangerous precedent.
The New Mexico Supreme Court’s majority ‘rubber-stamped’ the governor’s expansive interpretation of the Public Health Emergency Response Act, granting her near-unlimited power to declare emergencies and impose restrictions on New Mexicans’ freedoms.
From the perspective of the RPNM, there was a silver lining, in that two justices, Michael E. Vigil and Briana H. Zamora, sounded the alarm, warning that this decision opens the door to unchecked executive power. Justice Vigil wrote that “[t]he majority’s conclusion…leaves it totally in the discretion of any governor to assume sweeping emergency powers for any reason the governor chooses.” Justice Zamora added that “I am guided by my apprehension that the unconstrained exercise of emergency executive powers the majority has approved in this instance could readily be misused.”
Under this ruling, the RPNM is concerned that a future New Mexico governor might decide to ‘declare an emergency’ over climate change or to ban free speech to combat ‘misinformation’, which given Governor Lujan Grisham’s history of declaring a public emergency to ban the otherwise lawful carry and possession of firearms, is justified. Unfettered Executive power is a huge concern.
The RPNM asserts that it is “fighting for your God-given rights, your family, and your future.”
The dissenting arguments from the New Mexico Supreme Court’s “Amdor v. Grisham” decision may be read HERE (with the dissenting opinions beginning on Page 84).
If you have questions regarding the RPNM’s press release, you may contact Ashley Soular at ash@gopnm.org, (505) 298-3662, or you may visit the RPNM’s website HERE.
Source NM is reporting on this matter HERE.
The Albuquerque Journal is reporting on this matter HERE.
My brothers and sisters, when a political party (state or federal) changes rules or encourages and accepts a questionable precedent in the law, it does so at its own risk and at the peril of the people it claims to support. When a new political party become the majority, how quickly what seemed wise turns into a mistake. Pray for our leaders to walk in godly wisdom!
The Bible reminds us of this issue:
Ecclesiastes 10:8 (Amplified Bible)
“He who digs a pit [for others] may fall into it, and a serpent may bite him who breaks through a [stone] wall.”
