The New Mexico Supreme Court denied a writ of mandamus brought by a group of sitting district court and municipal judges in the state who sought to prohibit a voter-approved amendment to the state constitution enacted to stagger retention elections.
The judges were joined in the action by the District Metropolitan Court Judges’ Association, and together brought a mandamus petition against Maggie Toulouse Oliver, New Mexico’s secretary of state, challenging the constitutionality of the legislation. According to court documents, the amendment to Article XX, Section 3 of the New Mexico Constitution authorized the Legislature to enact laws that stagger elections of state, county or district officials.
