[13], At a county commission meeting on February 11, 2021, Griffin said he was accused of crimes but not convicted. Maya Srikrishnan, Center For Public Integrity. By New Mexico state law, any New Mexican can file to have any New Mexico county official removed from office. The ruling also states that although the plaintiffs in the case presented evidence to support their claim, Griffin did not present any evidence for his defense. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Their first witness was Matthew Struck, who joined Griffin at the Capitol and served as his videographer. On Jan. 6, Griffin joined thousands of people at the Capitol. Otero County Courthouse: 13 West 3rd Street. "I regret their actions but I don't regret my actions. Replies. | My intent of going to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6 was because I had concerns that our elections had been compromised.". Griffin is one of the few riot defendants who wasnt accused of entering the Capitol building or engaging in any violent or destructive behavior. Thats the very essence of democracy, and this ruling affirms it., Jimenez added that Common Cause hoped the ruling would set a precedent for other elected officials who "disregard their oath of office.". "Public health orders carry the full weight of law in every New Mexico county," Sackett said. After climbing over a stone wall and entering a restricted area outside the Capitol, Griffin said, This is our house we should all be armed, according to prosecutors. Lujan Grisham spokeswoman Nora Sackett said the resolution was preposterous. Prosecutors played video clips that showed Griffin moving through the mob that formed outside the Capitol, where police used pepper spray to quell rioters. Approximately 100 others have trial dates. Griffin was arrested on Jan. 18, 2021after being charged with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building relating to his participation in theCapitol riot. "Griffin shall be removed from his position as an Otero County Commissioner effective immediately.". McFadden set sentencing for June 17, after defense attorney Nicholas D. Smith declined an offer for immediate sentencing. Contact Editor Shaun Griswold for questions: info@sourcenm.com. Humility, brother, he said with a chuckle. Nichols, and awarded a nearly $50,000 contract to audit about 24,000 votes to Echomail, which was among the companies who audited the 2020 vote in Maricopa County, AZ. Mr. Griffins removal and bar from holding office again is a step towards obtaining justice and restoring the rule of law, Dodd Law Office, LLC President Christopher Dodd said in a Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington news release. Griffin was arrested on Jan. 8, 2021and charged with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building relating to his participation in theCapitol riot. Griffins mockery of Native American rites got him banned from Mescalero Apache Tribe lands. It's a real disgrace towards our democracy," he said during a brief phone interview. Gemunu Amarasinghe/AP We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site. [1], Recall supporters filed paperwork on March 11, 2021. Thanks for contacting us. This story has been shared 401,284 times. That is offensive and wrong, Smith told the judge during his brief opening statements. Griffin, one of three members of the Otero County Commission in southern New Mexico, is among a handful of riot defendants who either held public office or ran for a government leadership post in the 2 1/2 years before the attack. | However, after Griffin was arrested in January 2021, Otero County business could continue so long as a quorum of at least two county commissioners were present at Otero County Commission meetings, the meetings can continue. The Soldiers' Monument, also known as The Obelisk, was toppled by Indigenous Peoples Dayactivists in October 2020, an event which has already resulted in five arrests. Couy Griffin speaks for three minutes during the public comment period of the Otero County Commission meeting on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022. Some high-profile legal efforts to remove public officials from their positions due to their involvement in Jan. 6 have failed so far. Defense attorney Nicholas Smith said the case against Griffin was built on a series of false assumptions and premises. Trial testimony showed Griffin went to the Capitol to support free and fair elections, Smith told the judge. Ballot measures, Who represents me? Watch Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin get arrested in Washington D.C. Couy Griffin has been charged with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority. After being jailed in connection with the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., Otero County Commission Vice Chairman Couy Griffin was back in attendance at the Feb. 11. The Otero County Commission met Thursday for the first time since former Commissioner Couy Griffin was removed from office by court order earlier this week because of his participation in the attack on the U.S. Capitol. Otero County Commission Vice-Chairman Couy Griffin sponsored two resolutions on the Commission's agenda: one calling for the FBI to investigate the destruction of the Soldier's Monument in Santa Fe, and another labeling New Mexico Gov. Well what bigger example is there whenever the courts remove a duly elected representative only to make way for the governor to hand select who she wants to represent the people? Griffin said. I kind of was bracing myself because I figured that it was going to go this way, Griffin said. "I was shocked by the response from the court. They are not above it. Griffin was released on his own recognizance. Much of Mondays trial was spent with the plaintiffs attorneys going over Griffins actions on January 6th, bringing up videos and pictures from that day. Griffin could have thought business was still taking place, but the burden was on the government to prove it beyond a reasonable doubt, McFadden said. District 2 Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin, 48 of Tularosa, was found guilty in federal court March 22 during a bench trial for trespassing on federal grounds during the during the . Griffin said he plans to appeal the ruling and that during the appeals process, he wont be representing himself. Otero County Commissioner and founder of Cowboys for Trump. More than 220 individuals have pleaded guilty so far, most of them to a petty offense of misdemeanor parading, picketing or demonstrating punishable by no more than six months in jail. The Washington Post has reported that at least 163 Republicans who have embraced Trumps false claims are running for statewide positions that would give them authority over the administration of elections. The Otero County Commission held a special meeting on Monday afternoon to discuss a resolution about county employees or elected officials who travel of state.. Nora Meyers Sackett, a spokesperson for Gov. It really looked a whole lot like what the framers of the Fourteenth Amendment had in mind.". Mr. Griffins removal and bar from holding office again is a step towards obtaining justice and restoring the rule of law, Dodd Law Office, LLC President Christopher Dodd said in a Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington news release. U.S. President | Couy Griffin first elected official barred from office for participating in Jan. 6 attack. Earlier this year in New Mexico, Otero County commissioners at first declined to certify the county's primary election, citing baseless claims about the security of voting machines. [10] Griffin said he would not resign. Couy Griffin is no longer the District 2 Otero County Commissioner per a ruling by District Judge Francis Mathew. According to a new filing at the Otero County Courthouse, Couy Griffin is facing a restraining order from Stephanie Dubois. "I didn't have any intent of being a part of an insurrection or a violent mob. In a statement released on January 19, 2021, the two commissioners said, "Couy Griffin from his first day as an Otero County Commissioner had devoted himself to promoting Cowboys for Trump for Trump organization rather than being a county commissioner who serves the citizens of Otero County who elected him. In Tuesdays decision, Judge Mathew ruled that Griffin had broken his oath to support the Constitution when he participated in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack in Washington, D.C., violating Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. In considering closing arguments submitted by Griffin in the case asking Mathew to consider the will of District 2 constituents, the judge said: "The irony of Mr. Griffin's argument that this Court should refrain from applying the law and consider the will of the people in District 2 of Otero County who retained him as a county commissioner against a recall effort as he attempts to defend his participation in an insurrection by a mob whose goal, by his own admission, was to set aside the results of a free, fair and lawful election by a majority of the people of the entire country (the will of the people) has not escaped this court.". Griffin, founder of politicaladvocacy group Cowboys for Trump, also requested a discussion period be placed on the agenda which would focus on Chairman Gerald Matherly and Commissioner Vickie Marquardt's call for Griffin to resign his Commission seat. Griffin is scheduled to be sentenced on June 17. Phone: 575-491-7265. Assistant U.S. Otero County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Mexico. My office will continue its examination of Otero County and the concerns of its residents.. Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons licence CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. According to Barron's Law Dictionary, moral turpitude is "a subjective term for baseness, vileness or dishonesty of a high degree A crime of moral turpitude is one demonstrating depravity in the private and social duties which one person owes to another and society at large,contrary to what is accepted and customary.". Prosecutors didnt give any opening statements. I feel like I was just really railroaded," Griffin said. Email Amy Barela. As of the 2010 census, the population was 63,797. Pence remained in the loading dock location for four to five hours, until the joint session of Congress resumed on the night of Jan. 6, Hawa testified. Couy Griffin recall, Otero County, New Mexico (2021), States that have pre-petition signature requirements for recalls, https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=Couy_Griffin_recall,_Otero_County,_New_Mexico_(2021)&oldid=8562281, Pages using DynamicPageList3 dplreplace parser function, Conflicts in school board elections, 2021-2022, Special Congressional elections (2023-2024), 2022 Congressional Competitiveness Report, State Executive Competitiveness Report, 2022, State Legislative Competitiveness Report, 2022, Partisanship in 2022 United States local elections. Both carry maximum sentences of one years imprisonment. More:Couy Griffin released from pretrial detention after being held on Capitol riot charges, More:Matherly, Marquardt demand Griffin resign from Otero County Commission. Griffin, who is defending himself, said he went to Washington D.C. to peacefully protest and pray. We can only get our country back from the ground floor. Michelle Lujan Grisham, confirmed that the governor will fill the vacancy, adding that the governor accepts applications from eligible residents as possible replacements. The state supreme court then stepped in, ordering the county to certify. The second proposed resolution is not the first which Otero County has considered in objection to New Mexico's public health emergency orders. He called it a great day for America and added, The people are showing that they have had enough, prosecutors said. Pinned Tweet. Social Services Annex: 215 Raton Ave. Theres no room with the Nationals. Couy Griffin @CowboyCouy . SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) - A prominent figure in New Mexico politics surrounding the events of the 2020 presidential election, Otero County Commission Couy Griffin has been removed from office ba They wont even give me a key to my office so I can get my stuff out without being surveilled by the sheriffs department.. He was being extremely loud, climbing over barriers, engaging with the crowd, she said in her closing arguments. In September 2022, it was employed by a judge in New Mexico, who removed Couy Griffin, a county commissioner in Otero County, from office for his participation in the January 6 insurrection. Daves Hot Chicken will have you begging for more, and maybe for mercy, Josiah Gray finishes April with a flourish as Nats avoid a series sweep, at least 163 Republicans who have embraced Trumps false claims, National Football League began playing Lift Every Voice and Sing, what is referred to the Black national anthem. Nicole Maxwell can be contacted by email at nmaxwell@alamogordonews.com, by phone at 575-415-6605 or on Twitter at @nicmaxreporter. hide caption. 21, 2022. Monday - Thursday 8 am to 5 pm, Fridays telecommuting Griffin is the second person to be tried of over 700 charged in connection with the riot that day. Regardless of what happens next, Bookbinder says this is the first time a court has ruled that what happened on Jan. 6 was an insurrection. DEIJ Policy | Ethics Policy | Privacy Policy. (Screenshot via the Otero County Commission livestream). This has been the hardest time of my life, not that Im trying to get anybodys sympathy. Ive been in my office, cleaning my office out today with the undersheriff standing guard in the room. Griffins attorneys said in a court filing that Pence had already departed the restricted area before the earliest that Griffin could have entered it, but Secret Service inspector Lanelle Hawa testified that Pence never left the restricted area during the riot. SANTA FE A New Mexico judge ordered Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin be removed from office, effective immediately, ruling that the attack on the Capitol was an insurrection and that Griffin's participation in it disqualified him under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. 17, 2022. Griffins attorneys say hundreds if not thousands of other people did exactly what Griffin did on Jan. 6 and havent been charged with any crimes. Its the governors choice.. [9][14], New Mexico allows recalls at the county level for "malfeasance or misfeasance in office or violation of the oath of office by the official concerned." Misogyny is fueling the countrys gun violence epidemic,. The decision to represent himself during the bench trial was made, Griffin said, because he felt hed provided the judge with strong evidence to have the case dismissed, and he never thought the case would go to trial. Struck has an immunity deal with prosecutors for his testimony. Recall supporters did not collect enough signatures by the deadline on September 28, 2021. Attorneys Janani Iyengar and Kimberly Paschall also cited a video Griffin posted of himself on the inauguration stage next to the Capitol during the riot that forced the evacuation of lawmakers meeting to certify Joe Bidens election victory. Some Republicans in Washington state cast a wary eye on an election security device, Scandal-plagued Rep. Madison Cawthorn is ousted in North Carolina primary, Georgia officials rule that Marjorie Taylor Greene can remain on the ballot. In August 2020, the Commission unanimously passed a resolution on the same topic. Fax: 575-443-2928. Judge: Now Imgoing to ask you again, who drafted those pleadings? Sept 6 (Reuters) - A New Mexico county commissioner became the first public official to lose their job for participating in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol when a state judge on Tuesday ruled that the Republican violated the U.S. Constitution by engaging in an insurrection. In his ruling on the case, Mathew contended that Griffin was not eligible to hold office because of his participation in the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riots. Social Services Annex: 215 Raton Ave. La Junta, CO 81050. Address 1101 New York Avenue Alamogordo, NM 88310 School districts | We are actively considering all options under New Mexico law. After a tense back-and-forth about who drafted the pleadings, Judge Francis Mathew denied the motion. Local news, weather, sports, events, restaurants and more, Cowboys for Trump founder Couy Griffin guilty in first Jan. 6 misdemeanor trial, QAnon Shaman stays in jail as judge slams his arguments: So frivolous as to insult the Courts intelligence, He kicked back in Pelosis office on Jan. 6. By allowing this case to move forward, youre going to set a very dangerous precedent, said Griffin. The hearing was held on April 8, 2021. Maureen Cohen Harrington via Storyful, Storyful, U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment's Disqualification Clause, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. "This is very evident of the tyranny that is raising its head up in our country.". But the judge said prosecutors didnt meet their burden to prove that Griffin engaged in disorderly conduct. Amy Barela District 2 Commissioner. All of this would suggest to a normal person that perhaps you should not be entering the area. The judge added that Griffin said in videos he recorded the next day and Jan. 14 that he joined a crowd that pushed through fencing into areas roped off by police for the inauguration. It would be one thing if he were arrested for assaulting someone, for planning to enter the building, for threatening members of Congress inside. More than 230 riot defendants have pleaded guilty, mostly to misdemeanors, and at least 127 of them have been sentenced. A criminal court convicted Griffin of misdemeanor trespassing on Jan. 6, which he plans to appeal. Griffin was accused of trespassing onto the west steps of the Capitol Building Jan. 6. Griffin and his two fellow commissioners voted to conduct the audit despite concerns about its legality noted by County Attorney R.B. Griffin's actions were "overt acts in support of the insurrection.". Griffins nameplate and chair were both absent from the dais as the two remaining commissioners called the regular meeting to order. Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin leaves the federal court in Washington on March. "But now we had this thing happen where people in the U.S. engaged in an armed insurrection to stop the legally mandated counting of votes and the peaceful transfer of power. Click here to contact us for media inquiries, and please donate here to support our continued expansion. "His protestations and his characterizations of his actions and the events of Jan. 6, 2021 are not credible and amounted to nothing more than attempting to put lipstick on a pig," Mathew's ruling states. [2] District Court Judge Manuel Arrieta ruled on April 8, 2021, that the recall effort could move forward. White, Mitchell and Lakind were represented by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington and the New Mexico-based law firms of Freedman Boyd Hollander and Goldberg P.A, Dodd Law Office, LLC, and the Law Office of Amber Fayerberg, LLC, as well as by Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC. But hes being prosecuted for standing on the steps, a place a federal appeals court has declared to be a public forum, Smith said. The three New Mexicans were not the only ones who expressed interest in removing Griffin from office. CREW represented three New Mexico residents who brought the civil lawsuit against Griffin this past March and called for him to be removed. State executives | "He took an oath to support the Constitution of the United States [and then] engaged in that insurrection after taking his oath," Judge Mathew wrote. Fax: 575-443-2928. Source New Mexico is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. A news release regarding the request for resignation alleged Griffin "from his first day as an Otero County Commissioner has devoted himself to promoting his Cowboys for Trump organization rather than being a county commissionerwho serves the citizens of Otero County who elected him.". Griffin, one of three members of the Otero County Commission in southern New Mexico, is among a handful of riot defendants who either held. Nicole Maxwell can be contacted by email at nmaxwell@alamogordonews.com, by phone at 575-415-6605 or on Twitter at @nicmaxreporter. He also expressed frustration that a judge, and not Otero County voters, had the final say. Lujan Grisham knows that New Mexicans expect their elected officials to uphold our Constitution and rule of law, Sackett said. ( AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe, File) All of this would suggest to a normal person that perhaps you should not be entering the area, McFadden said from the bench. The list includes 69 candidates for governor in 30 states, as well as 55 candidates for the U.S. Senate, 13 candidates for state attorney general and 18 candidates for secretary of state in places where that person is the states top election official. He knew there was danger! Griffin was booted from the board earlier in the week by court order due to his participation in the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. [2][5][6] They did not collect enough signatures by the deadline.[1]. Smith said prosecutors apparently believe Griffin engaged in disorderly conduct by peacefully leading a prayer on the Capitol steps. Video from that day shows Griffin "working up" supporters of Trump against then-Vice President Mike Pence, the court says. Likes. The case against Griffin was initially filed in March by three New Mexico residents who argued Griffin should be removed from his elected position for violating the Constitution, specifically because of his participation in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe, File A. And being in the audience of Thursdays meeting instead of being seated with the commissioners brought a specific feeling to his mind. Source New Mexico maintains editorial independence. The quo warranto complaintasking for Griffin's removal from office was filed by Marco White on Santa Fe County, Mark Mitchell of Los Alamos County and Leslie Lakind of Santa Fe County. Couy Griffin's Tweets. Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the worlds largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. His lawyers argued that he was selectively prosecuted for his political views. Email Amy Barela. State legislature | Resolutions, when passed, do not hold the weight of law, rather indicate positions of understanding or support. Judge Mathews decision is a signal to elected officials everywhere who want to snub their noses at the constitution, foment mob violence and disobey the law, said Mario Jimenez, executive director of Common Cause New Mexico, in a news release. Otero County, N.M., Commissioner Couy Griffin was arrested Sunday for illegally entering the Capitol on Jan. 6. [3], Griffin was elected to the three-member Otero County Commission in 2018, defeating Democratic candidate Christopher S. Jones with 65% of the vote. (Screenshot via the Otero County Commission livestream) Why didn't he stop Ashli instead of ASSIST Ashli? Build the strongest argument relying on authoritative content, attorney-editor expertise, and industry defining technology. [3] Griffin appealed that decision to the New Mexico Supreme Court on April 19, 2021. Screen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. It is named for Miguel Antonio Otero, the territorial governor when the county was created. Griffin: A friend of mine in Roswell, New Mexico. The court is expected to resume Tuesday at 9 a.m. He breached security barriers outside of the building and eventually assumed a leadership role in the mob and egged on the violence, Mathew said in his ruling. And there is also footage of Griffin illegally breaching multiple security barriers and egging on violence by rallying rioters with a bullhorn. I know that sometimes you travel down a hard road to get to a better road, but Gods a gracious God, and I think hes got me on that track., GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX, by Ryan Lowery, Source New Mexico September 9, 2022. Ryan Lowery is an award-winning independent journalist based in Albuquerque. McFadden rejected that contention before trial, finding that Griffins alleged leadership role, more blatant conduct and position as an elected official might rationally merit different handling by prosecutors. Griffins trial posed a different legal test, requiring U.S. prosecutors to prove that the defendant knowingly breached a restricted area where then-Vice President Mike Pence or others receiving Secret Service protection were or would be present. The Albuquerque Journal has reported that Griffin's commission term concludes at the end of the year, but that he is considering a run for sheriff. Access unmatched financial data, news and content in a highly-customised workflow experience on desktop, web and mobile. "(Griffin) became constitutionally disqualified from federal and state positions specified (under the U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment, Section 3) and forfeited his current office as Otero County Commissioner effective Jan. 6, 2021," Mathew's ruling states. Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin gestures before getting into a car after the first day of his trial in federal court in Washington on March 21. Noah Bookbinder the president of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, or CREW said the ruling against Griffin is the first time since the Civil War era that any public official has been removed under the provision of the Fourteenth Amendment, which bars anyone from holding state or federal office if they engage or support any kind of insurrection or rebellion against the U.S. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site. This little-known provision was included in the Fourteenth Amendment in the wake of the Civil War, Bookbinder says, as a way to exclude those who were part of the Confederacy from holding public office again. He claims the plaintiffs in the case were from liberal counties in the state and were being supported by liberal groups. January 6, 2021 was a dark day in our history. In March, a judge blocked a lawsuit seeking to remove Republican North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn from running for reelection. NEW MEXICO(KRQE) The trial for Otero County Commissioner and Cowboys for Trump founder, Couy Griffin begins Monday in Santa Fe. [4] The New Mexico Supreme Court affirmed the lower court's ruling on June 28, 2021, allowing the recall effort to move forward. Michelle Lujan Grisham's public health orders as unconstitutional. Watch Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin get arrested in Washington D.C. Couy Griffin has been charged with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority. Nobody thinks a random tourist could sort of climb up there, right? McFadden said. And though hes been removed from his seat on the county commission, Griffin showed that he wont be silenced when it comes to county matters and is more than willing to address decisions made by his former colleagues as a private citizen. Gov. That resolution was also sponsored by Griffin. The judges verdict bolstered U.S. prosecutors decision to charge about half of the more than 750 people arrested to date in the Capitol siege with misdemeanors only if they did not assault police, damage property or act to obstruct the proceedings of Congress. Assistant US Attorney Janani Iyengar said Griffin climbed over metal bike racks, up a plywood ramp and shouted over the crowd about his belief that the election was stolen from Trump. La Junta, CO 81050 (719) 383-3000. Despite claims in the proposed resolution, houses of worship are allowed to seat 25% of their capacity and peaceful assemblies have been held in Otero County throughout the pandemic. U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden found Griffin, who is also an elected New Mexico county commissioner, guilty of illegally entering or remaining on restricted grounds after a one-day bench trial, and not guilty of a second misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct. Griffin is fighting to keep his seat on the county commission after three residents of Santa Fe and Los Alamos Counties filed a lawsuit saying he should be removed from office because of his participation in the January 6th insurrection at the Capitol. This article originally appeared on Alamogordo Daily News: Couy Griffin removed from District 2 Otero County Commissioner seat, U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment's Disqualification Clause, Couy Griffin removed from District 2 Otero County Commissioner seat. Griffin told NPR he will appeal this latest ruling. Protecting our democracy cannot be optional the people of Otero County deserve elected officials committed to protecting and upholding our laws.. Monday - Friday 8 am to 5 pm. Griffin was charged with two misdemeanors: entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds and disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds.
Early Settlers Of Albany, New York,
What To Do With Old Central Vacuum,
Suzanne Chick Obituary,
Florida Woman September 3,
Sewol Ferry Dead Bodies Pictures,
Articles O