Lujan Grisham pardons 12 people convicted of various crimes

Most had been convicted of nonviolent offenses dating back more than a decade

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham granted pardons Wednesday to a dozen people convicted of various crimes in New Mexico.

The governor invoked her power of executive clemency to pardon the 12 individuals, most of whom had been convicted of nonviolent offenses dating back more than a decade.

“The governor’s pardon restores certain fundamental rights, such as the right to vote, the right to hold public office and other positions of public trust, and the right to bear arms,” Nora Meyers Sackett, a spokeswoman for the governor, wrote in an email.

The forgiven offenses include drug trafficking, drug possession, auto burglary, forgery, fraud and tampering with evidence, among others. Only one of the 12 individuals pardoned by the governor had been convicted of multiple offenses.

While all but one of the offenses dated back more than a decade, some went as far back as the 1980s, according to the Governor’s Office.

“Five of the individuals had applied for clemency under the [administration of former Gov. Susana Martinez], four of whom received no answer to their application whatsoever,” the Governor’s Office said in a news release.

Wednesday’s pardons followed 19 pardons Lujan Grisham granted in June, which the Governor’s Office said had been the first pardons issued in the state since 2012, “following almost a decade of neglect under the previous state administration.”

The governor has the power to grant reprieves and pardons under the state constitution, which states the governor’s decision to pardon is “unrestrained by any consideration other than the conscience and wisdom and the

sense of public duty of the governor.”

“The governor’s pardoning power extends to all offenses committed under state law other than the offenses of impeachment and treason,” the news release stated. “The governor does not have authority to pardon convictions for violations of municipal ordinances or convictions from another jurisdiction, such as convictions from other states and convictions under federal law.”

The governor also does not have authority to expunge or seal arrest or conviction records.