New Mexico legal disputes involve election oversight and firearm laws

In New Mexico, a civic association named Land of Action is seeking a restraining order against Santa Fe County Clerk Katharine Clark. The group alleges that Clark has blocked trained poll watchers from entering polling locations during early voting, instead demanding they complete an additional four-hour in-person training session. The group claims the Secretary of State has already directed Clark to cease obstructing election watching.

Separately, several pro-Second Amendment organizations, including the National Rifle Association and the National Shooting Sports Foundation, have filed a lawsuit against the state. The plaintiffs accuse New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez of defying a Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that declared the state’s firearm purchase waiting period unconstitutional. New Mexico officials have maintained that the previous court ruling applied only to specific named plaintiffs and that the law remains in effect for others.