SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) - The New Mexico Supreme Court on Thursday denied an emergency petition that sought to speed up the process for filling a state Senate vacancy before the end of the legislative session.
The court issued a brief order and offered no explanation for the decision.
Anthony and Jennifer Trujillo of Santa Fe County and Rick Lopez, a former chair of the Torrance County Republican Party, filed the petition Monday.
They asked the court to force Bernalillo, Santa Fe, San Miguel and Valencia counties to call emergency meetings so nominees could be chosen for the seat left vacant by the abrupt resignation of Democratic Sen. Phil Griego.
As an alternative, the petition asked the court to order Gov. Susana Martinez to choose Griego’s successor from the names of two Republicans submitted by Torrance and Lincoln county commissioners.
Those two counties have since said they would meet again and reconsider possible nominees to ensure compliance with the state’s open-meeting laws.
Bernalillo County nominated Santa Fe County Commissioner Liz Stefanics on Wednesday, and the remaining counties plan to meet Friday to make their selections. Martinez will make the final decision.
Griego, who held the Senate District 39 seat for more than 18 years, submitted his resignation last Saturday because of an ethics issue that stemmed from his role in the sale of a state-owned building in Santa Fe.
Martinez had pushed the six counties that make up the district to provide her with names last Sunday, saying the situation constituted an emergency because voters were being left without representation during a critical time of the session.
A $6.2 billion budget, tax proposals and approval of a gambling compact were some of the big-ticket items still under discussion as the Legislature entered its final stretch. Adjournment is Saturday.
The four counties controlled by Democrats balked at the governor’s request and said they would need more time to make a decision.
A separate lawsuit filed Tuesday in state district court by Democrats sought to force Martinez to wait until all the counties submitted nominations. That case has been assigned to Judge Sarah Singleton in Santa Fe.
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