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Jan. 26 First News: State Appeals Court To Consider Assisted-Suicide Challenge (Listen)

The New Mexico Court of Appeals will hear a case today that may allow some terminally ill patients in the state to end their lives. The court is scheduled to hear arguments in a case involving a Santa Fe resident with advanced uterine cancer. Last year, Second Judicial District Judge Nan Nash ruled that the New Mexico Constitution prohibits the state from depriving a person of life, liberty or property without due process. Nash also ruled that doctors could not be prosecuted under the state's assisted suicide law, which classifies helping with suicide as a fourth-degree felony. The New Mexico Attorney General's Office, under former Attorney General Gary King, appealed the case. The state appeals court could take six months to year to issue a final ruling.

New Mexico’s new Attorney General is looking into possibly releasing more information from an audit of 15 nonprofits that provided behavioral health services for needy New Mexicans. Hector Balderas told lawmakers during a committee meeting Friday that a decision is expected soon. The New Mexico Foundation for Open Government sued last September after former Attorney General Gary King and the Human Services Department refused to release the audit. A state district judge ruled last month that most of the document would remain under wraps. The audit prompted Governor Susana Martinez's administration to freeze Medicaid payments to the providers while the attorney general launched an investigation. Balderas says investigations into three of the providers are complete, four are in progress and eight have yet to begin.

The new leader of the New Mexico House of Representative wants committees under his watch to be punctual. House Speaker Don Tripp sent a letter to new committee chairs Friday, asking that they meet on time. He says doing so would encourage New Mexicans to get involved in their government. Committee meetings are where lawmakers vet bills, take testimony from proponents and opponents and decide whether the measures should advance. In the past, committees often ran hours behind schedule, leaving constituents waiting to testify. In some cases, the hearing of a bill could be put off for a day or more. Tripp says committees that operate efficiently and effectively will better serve the people. He also asked for committee leaders to plan their agendas as far in advance as possible to allow for adequate public notice.

New Mexico’s new state Republican Party Chair says her goal is to “make the state red” in 2016. Debbie Maestas, tabbed by Party officials last month to succeed John Billingsley, says the GOP will implement an aggressive voter registration program to achieve that goal. *****012615-Maestas-2 :35*****Maestas—who’s the daughter of 2014 GOP Senate candidate Allen Weh—says Republicans will be targeting greater numbers of Hispanic and female voters.

Albuquerque officials are set to vote on candidates for a new civilian panel aimed at monitoring the city's troubled police department. The Albuquerque Journal reported Saturday a retired police officer, a pastor and a counselor are among the applicants recommended to sit on the nine-person police oversight board. Councilors approved a measure in September creating the new civilian agency independent of the mayoral administration and the city council. The board would investigate and decide citizen complaints against police, analyze trends and provide policy recommendations. A U.S. Justice Department investigation found Albuquerque police had a pattern of using excessive force and that the city's civilian oversight of police was ineffective. The panel is part of a sweeping plan to reform the city's police department.

Native American leaders from a handful of tribes are seeking support for a new gambling compact negotiated with Republican Governor Susana Martinez's administration. The proposed agreement comes after years of discussions. It will require the approval of the state Legislature and the U.S. Interior Department. The proposal would cover gambling operations by the Jicarilla Apache, the Mescalero Apache, the pueblos of Acoma and Jemez and the Navajo Nation. The current compact expires later this year. Jicarilla Apache officials say leaders from more than a dozen tribes met Thursday in Albuquerque to discuss the proposal, which includes new revenue sharing percentages. The general counsel for the Jicarilla Apache, Dion Killsback, says the tribes need to be unified and at the very least should not stand in the way of the agreement.

Santa Fe Weather: Sunny today with the high reaching 51. It’ll be partly cloudy tonight with the overnight low, 34.Tomorrow: Partly sunny with a slight chance for showers and a high of 49.