New Mexico Supreme Court to require I.D. to view court records

February 24, 2011

New Mexico: The New Mexico Supreme Court has altered their rules for requesting records from the court system and will begin requiring an I.D. from requesters prior to release. The rule was adopted in February 2 and went into effect the week of February 14. The rule is a companion rule to a decision made by the court last year to begin requiring attorneys to submit two copies of court paperwork, one with identifying information for court use and one with that information redacted, for release to the public. The court argues that due to non-compliance with the previous rule, the I.D. requirement and a log of information relating to individuals requesting documents is necessary in order to protect the privacy interests of those associated with the courts. The New Mexico Foundation for Open government opposes the new rule, stating, "It could be a violation of the Constitution if they deny records to people because they don't have I.D. There is a potential for abuse."