Phaedra Haywood

5 days ago | santafenewmexican.com | Phaedra Haywood

Three women, all in their 40s, have applied for appointment to a judicial vacancy in the First Judicial District Court being created by the retirement of District Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer at the end of May. One of the applicants, 42-year-old Elizabeth K. Allen, is currently a Los Alamos Municipal Court judge. Another, Mary Ruth McCleary, 44, works as a public defender, while a third, 40-year-old Anastasia Rose Martin, is general counsel for the New Mexico Aging and Long-Term Services Department.

1 week ago | santafenewmexican.com | Phaedra Haywood

Solitary confinement. Administrative segregation. Restrictive housing. No matter what you call it, the American Civil Liberties Union says, the practice of keeping a person alone in a cell 23 hours a day for weeks, months or years without meaningful human contact is cruel and unusual punishment, and violates the state and federal constitutions.

1 week ago | santafenewmexican.com | Phaedra Haywood

Whistleblower disclosures in New Mexico must benefit the public to qualify for protections under state law, according to a unanimous decision issued Thursday by the state Supreme Court. The high court's ruling provides legal clarity on whether a public employee who discloses alleged governmental misconduct will be covered by the New Mexico Whistleblower Protection Act against reprisals such as firing or demotions, according to a statement from the Administrative Office of the Courts.

1 week ago | santafenewmexican.com | Phaedra Haywood

A story on Page A-8 published Friday, May 2, 2025, about the New Mexico Corrections Department leaving the Lea County Correctional Facility incorrectly stated the state had decided to ends its contract with private prison operator GEO Group. The state is moving its inmates out of the facility after GEO Group made a decision not to renew its lease on the land under the prison.

1 week ago | santafenewmexican.com | Phaedra Haywood

Federal agents seized millions of dollars worth of guns, drugs and money and arrested people in Santa Fe and Albuquerque as part of a multistate drug bust, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced Tuesday.