During this legislative season, I cannot emphasize enough how important it is for everyone who is concerned about the Courts and the travesties that New Mexico families have undergone at the hand of the New Mexico Courts to pay attention to what is happening in Santa Fe.

An example from four years ago emphasizes why such viligance is so important. Guardian ad Litem immunity was introduced through the legislative session several years ago in a bill introduced in the NM Senate. Many families (and adults who were victimized by the system as children) testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee in opposition to the bill, and the committee refused to pass the bill unless it was rewritten with the input of the families who complained. A revised version was eventually passed in the NM Senate that was rewritten in a joint, weekend effort that included members of the Family Law section of the NM Bar Association and a number of family victims. Unfortunately, then-Chief Justice Bosson directly interfered with the legislative process after the revised bill passed the Senate, a violation of the separation of powers clause of the Constitution, and had the bill withdrawn before it went to the House. A few months later, the Administrative Office of the Courts quietly passed the first version of the Bill, the one rejected by the Senate Judiciary Committee that gave Guardians ad Litem full immunity.

This year is no different. Attendance at the monthly Bernalillo County (Second Judicial District) Domestic Relations meeting held by Judge Deborah Davis Walker has consistently shown that one of the ways such unjust laws are introduced and shepharded through the system are through Cisco McSorley, currently the Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Co-Chair of the Courts, Corrections and Justice Committee. Discussions in the Domestic Relations meetings indicate that McSorley is their man when it comes to getting legislation passed that is judge- or court-friendly (and typically citizen-unfriendly).

Check out our new story about the proposed Domestic Partnership (House bill 21, Senate Bill 12). Controversy abounds regarding this bill, mostly centered around whether couples who are not married should receive the legal protections and legal status of married couples. But the real "gotcha" is in the fine print. I believe this is a bald-faced attempt for the Family Courts to gain a whole new foothold into the assets of unmarried persons who are cohabitating. Our story provides the details.

Keep an eye on this year's legislation as it develops, and speak up about it! Track daily bill progress, find bill sponsors, and find contact information for committee members and your own legislators here: www.nmlegis.gov. If those who were New Mexico voters before us had been vigilant, many of us would still have our families and our assets intact. Don't let the greed and avarice of the judicial/legislative machine rule over our homes and our lives - fight back!
Leslie Cumiford
President,
Center for Family Justice