May 31, 2023
Judge Lea A. Kirksey has granted the State’s request for a stay of the lawsuit that the City of Eunice recently filed against Attorney General Torrez and Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham as it seeks to challenge the state’s authority to guarantee continued access to reproductive healthcare across the state. Recognizing that similar issues are already pending resolution by the New Mexico Supreme Court as it considers a previously filed writ by the Attorney General, the District Court Judge in Lea County agreed to put the Eunice lawsuit on hold until the Supreme Court issues an opinion.
“We applaud Judge Kirksey’s decision to stay the lawsuit filed by the City of Eunice as it seeks to deny women the right to reproductive healthcare and undermine the equal protection guarantees found in our state constitution,” Attorney General Torrez said. “We refuse to allow women to be relegated to the status of second class citizens and look forward to definitively resolving this question in the proper forum – the New Mexico Supreme Court.”
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