N.M. representative again denied jury trial in DWI case
The Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court on Friday denied state Rep. Monica Youngblood’s second request to have a jury decide whether she is guilty of a petty misdemeanor count of driving while intoxicated.
Instead, the Albuquerque Republican with a tough-on-crime reputation is scheduled to stand trial Tuesday in front of Judge Kevin Fitzwater.
Police arrested Youngblood in May after she declined to submit to a breathalcohol test when stopped at a DWI checkpoint in her own district late one night.
Charged with aggravated drunken driving, she has maintained her innocence.
But the episode gained particular notoriety when video surfaced of the lawmaker arguing with officers and repeatedly bringing up her political support
for law enforcement at the Legislature.
Youngblood has hired a prominent Albuquerque lawyer and close ally of Gov. Susana Martinez, Paul Kennedy, as her attorney. And she recently added a second lawyer, Justine Fox-Young, to her legal team — considerable legal firepower for a petty misdemeanor case.
But Youngblood is up for reelection this year and facing a challenge from Democrat Karen Bash. And the Republican nominee for attorney general, Michael Hendricks, said Youngblood not only should drop out of the race but resign from office.
Kennedy filed a demand for a jury trial on Youngblood’s behalf in June and was denied. He renewed his request this month, arguing that while the Youngblood may not be entitled to a jury trial for a petty misdemeanor, the judge has discretion to grant one.
The court offered no explanation in denying that second request on Friday.
Most DWI trials in Metropolitan Court do not involve a jury, according to data from the Administrative Office of the Courts.
Kennedy could not be reached for comment late Friday.