AG King Files Lawsuit to Protect NM Water

It is one of the biggest battles Attorney General Gary King is leading on behalf of New Mexico.  The stakes could not be more important to the people of our state.  The details are here in a Report from The Attorney General.


Report Fr AG BOR Suit 8-22-11

First Governmental Accountability Act Training a Success

Attorney General Gary King began making good on his promise to help ensure that every state and local government body in New Mexico knows about changes to a state ethics law.

One of Attorney General King's most important legislative accomplishments last year was SB 432, sponsored by Senator Tim Eichenberg. The bill was passed during the last legislative session. It amends the Governmental Conduct Act to do away with the patchwork of ethics laws that currently apply to government by creating a uniform body of ethics laws that apply to all public bodies, officials, and employees.

Among other things, the bill expands and clarifies the definition of a public officer or employee covered by the Act and the prohibition against certain designated political activities to include elected or appointed officials and employees of state and local government agencies. The bill also extends to local government agencies the prohibitions against state agencies entering into contracts with former state agency employees. 

The Attorney General's Office formulated a training program to explain the Act to state and local government agency employees who are now subject to the stronger Governmental Conduct Act provisions. The training is designed to educate county and municipal officers and employees about their new responsibilities under the law. The first of these training sessions was held this week at the Capitol in Santa Fe. About 40 public employees attended the training conducted by Attorney General King and his Chief Deputy Al Lama. A few photos of the event are posted below.

AG King: NM Water Has Been Sold Down the River

All one has to do is look outdoors to see the effects of the drought around New Mexico. In an effort to avoid making a bad situation even worse, Attorney General Gary King is legally fighting to hang on to our state's water resources. This week AG King filed suit against the federal government to stop the illegal reclassification of what arguably is New Mexico's most precious resource.

NR BOR Lawsuit 8-8-11

Here is a copy of lawsuit filed this week in federal court.


BOR Lawsuit

PRC Commissioner Vehicle Search

Many people have been calling Attorney General King's office in the past 24 hours concerning reports about a search of a state vehicle used by PRC Commissioner Jerome Block, Jr. I can now verify that a search was conducted by Special Agents from the Attorney General's Office. The search is part of an AGO investigation, the results of which will be turned over to the 1st Judicial District Attorney's Office. This is standard operating procedure in cases like this. Further details about the investigation can not be discussed at this time. 

Some important news from recent days to report on several fronts. First, Attorney General King was successful in obtaining a district court ruling that allows him to move ahead in the Vanderbilt Capital investment case.
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Secondly, the NM Court of Appeals reversed a state district judge’s dismissal order and reinstated charges against PRC member Jerome Block Jr. and his father.
Jerome D. Block

Next, federal indictments were returned against defendants in the former Secretary of State’s Office Help America Vote Act (HAVA) funds case. Two of the co-defendants in the state’s corruption case involving the same pot of money were indicted on additional federal charges. AG King’s prosecutors were originally handling the state’s case until District Judge Pat Murdoch removed the Attorney General because of what he believed were “shadows” cast over the case. Judge Murdoch, however, specifically noted in his ruling that, “I see no wrongdoing on the part of the office of Attorney General...I don’t see the prosecution coming from a vindictive place...I don’t see it being created by political agenda...”

Additionally, the state’s corruption case against Rebecca-Vigil Giron, et al., is now being handled by Special Prosecutor Joseph CampBell, appointed by Second Judicial District Attorney Kari Brandenburg.

Attorney General King Helps Feds Help New Mexico

AG King's Governmental Accountability Division, principally charged with fighting government corruption, worked behind the scenes to obtain a guilty plea to federal charges in a bribery case that involved the state Corrections Department.  That little detail seems to have been lost in most accounts of this victory for the people of New Mexico, so in case you missed it...here's the rest of the story.

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Attorney General King Prevails in Legal Fight to Represent NM

Despite repeated claims of some sort of "conflict" by the lawyer trying to get a share of any recovery of state money in the Vanderbilt pay-to-play case,  AG King is allowed to take over the languishing matter. Speaking only for myself as a public information officer, I wonder why this news did not make the front pages, above the fold? 



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