New Mexico Daily Sues Governor for Release of Employee Records

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The Albuquerque Journal has sued Democratic New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson under the Inspection of Public Records Act (14-2-4 NMSA 1978) for the release of documents concerning 59 state workers who were laid off, the Associated Press reports.

The Journal filed suit in district court in pursuit of information concerning the identities of the pink-slipped workers, the purported savings to the state budget from the payroll deductions, and the criteria used by the governor's office to determine which positions were expendable. The newspaper claims the governor's office was foot-dragging and had released the names of only a handful of the 59 workers.