Griffin told NPR that he was shocked by the ruling. 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. New Mexico judge removes, bars Couy Griffin from public office District Court Judge Francis Mathew ruled that Couy Griffin, an Otero County commissioner, is now disqualified from holding public office because he violated Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment by participating in the Jan. 6 siege. 0:36. The outcome of Griffins trial could have a ripple effect, helping other Capitol riot defendants decide whether to let a judge or a jury decide their case. [1] Its county seat is Alamogordo. It's a real disgrace towards our democracy," he said during a brief phone interview. Amy Barela District 2 Commissioner. Amy Barela | Otero County, NM Pinned Tweet. She's the current county commissioner for the area.. Leading up to Jan. 6, Griffin and his organization helped mobilize the "Stop the Steal" movement that falsely claimed Donald Trump's election defeat in 2020 was the result of widespread fraud, an assertion rejected by multiple courts, state election officials and members of his own administration, Mathew wrote. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. Bloomberg CityLab on Instagram: "Couy Griffin marched to the steps of He called it a great day for America and added, The people are showing that they have had enough, prosecutors said. We've received your submission. Otero County commissioner files restraining order against Couy Griffin The hearing was held on April 8, 2021. The video also showed he spent more than an hour on the front railing of the inaugural stage with a bullhorn, ignoring the lingering odor of police-deployed pepper spray and leading the crowd below in prayer. How to run for office | Otero Commissioners to discuss calls for resignation of Couy Griffin Fax: 575-443-2928. 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. 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. 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.". Resolutions, when passed, do not hold the weight of law, rather indicate positions of understanding or support. Griffin is scheduled to be sentenced on June 17. 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. Ukrainian photographer missing following captured journali Woman has 'loud, full body orgasm' in the middle of LA concert, Bride killed, groom seriously hurt by drunk driver just minutes after leaving reception, Red carpet live updates and star-studded highlightsfrom the Karl Lagerfeld-themed Met Gala, Pete Davidson keeps it casual in a bucket hat on the Met Gala 2023 red carpet, Paris Hilton makes Met Gala 2023 red carpet debut in a black leather gown, Kim Kardashian is draped in pearls and corset at Met Gala 2023, Khristina Williams previews the New York Liberty's 2023 WNBA season, Elon Musk Tells Bill Maher Woke Mind Virus Is Dangerous On Real Time, Met Gala red carpet: Live updates of all the celebrity outfits. He was being extremely loud, climbing over barriers, engaging with the crowd, she said in her closing arguments. Griffin is scheduled to be sentenced on June 17. Griffin was unhappy that Stephanie DuBois, a Democrat, was appointed to his old seat . Ryan Lowery is an award-winning independent journalist based in Albuquerque. Nicole Maxwell can be contacted by email at [email protected], by phone at 575-415-6605 or on Twitter at @nicmaxreporter. Ballot measures, Who represents me? Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin leaves the federal court in Washington on March. Smith argued that one could find the events of Jan. 6 embarrassing and shameful, but also conclude that it was offensive and wrong to selectively prosecute and convict Griffin for exercising his freedom of speech and leading a prayer. How to vote | The three New Mexicans were not the only ones who expressed interest in removing Griffin from office. They wont even give me a key to my office so I can get my stuff out without being surveilled by the sheriffs department.. The Otero County Commissioners have had enough of Cowboys for Trump leader Couy Griffin. The decision against Griffin, who made headlines earlier this year by refusing to certify his county's election results, comes after some similar, high-profile Fourteenth Amendment challenges to incumbent lawmakers across the country failed. Elections in 2023 | La Junta, CO 81050 (719) 383-3000. Jeter Downs needs to play to develop. Marquardt and Matherly, along withNew Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas, asked Griffin to resign following his Jan. 17 arrest in which he was charged withknowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority by federal authorities foris participation in the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol building. Otero County Directory | Otero County Griffin was arrested when he returned to Washington on Jan. 17, 2021, after saying during an Otero County Commission meeting that he planned to return for Bidens inauguration with his .357 Henry Big Boy rifle and single action revolver. 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. "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. After attendingTrumps Stop the Steal rallyon Jan. 6, Griffin and Struck walked over barriers and up a staircase to enter a stage that was under construction on the Capitols Lower West Terrace for Bidens inauguration, according to prosecutors. 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. In August 2020, the Commission unanimously passed a resolution on the same topic. The New Mexico Supreme Court has repeatedly upheld the State's authority to impose such mandates. Instead, he showed up as a passenger in a pickup truck that had a horse trailer on the back. Griffin was removed from office under theU.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment's Disqualification Clause, which states that an elected official may be removed from their position for acts against the government, including insurrection which some experts have labeled the events of the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riots. District Court Judge Manuel Arrieta ruled in favor of the recall effort. They are not above it. Couy Griffin speaks for three minutes during the public comment period of the Otero County Commission meeting on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022. He says it was used in the 1860s and then has been very rarely invoked since. 2023 www.alamogordonews.com. COUNTY COMMISSIONERS' OFFICE 719-383-3000: CSU EXTENSION OFFICE 719-254-7608: HEALTH DEPARTMENT (LA JUNTA) 719-383-3040: HEALTH DEPARTMENT (ROCKY FORD) 719-254-5300: . That is our County Commissioners as well as County Sheriffs. [15], Supporters of the recall against Griffin filed paperwork with the New Mexico Twelfth Judicial District Court on March 11, 2021, requesting a hearing to determine if their recall petition could be circulated. [13], At a county commission meeting on February 11, 2021, Griffin said he was accused of crimes but not convicted. More: Cowboys for Trump founder guilty of illegally entering US Capitol grounds in Jan. 6 riot. 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. 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. The resolution on the table calls the COVID-19 public health orders unconstitutional on series of grounds including that itinfringes on New Mexicans' First Amendment right to free exercise of religion and to peaceably assemble. Couy Dale Griffin (born 1973) is a former politician who served from 2019 to 2022 as a county commissioner for District 2 of Otero County, New Mexico, which covers Tularosa, Three Rivers, La Luz, the western parts of Alamogordo, and the Mescalero Apache Reservation.In September 2022, Griffin was removed from office under the Disqualification . Nora Meyers Sackett, a spokesperson for Gov. Recall supporters did not collect enough signatures by the deadline on September 28, 2021. Each speaker was given three minutes to address the commission, and Griffin used his time to discuss two items on the agenda funding for a road and a contract extension for the county attorney. 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. Griffin was previously convicted of a misdemeanor for entering Capitol grounds and was sentenced to 14 days, but was given credit for time served. Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. 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. The left is always crying about how our democracy is under attack. Couy Griffin is no longer the District 2 Otero County Commissioner per a ruling by District Judge Francis Mathew. The March 11 Otero County Commission meeting agenda can be found on the Otero County website and will be streamed on YouTube beginning 9 a.m. on March 11. 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. US District Judge Trevor McFadden heard one day of testimony without a jury on Monday before handing down a verdict in the misdemeanor case against Otero County CommissionerCouy Griffin, a 48-year-old former rodeo rider who helped found a group called Cowboys for Trump. But the judge said prosecutors didnt meet their burden to prove that Griffin engaged in disorderly conduct. 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. Media. Of the many agenda items concerning the commissioner on the April 8 agenda, the item that generated the most contentious discussion was the ratification of a press release that Commissioners Gerald Matherly and Vickie Marquardt -- both Republicans -- sent to media calling for Griffin's resignation. But its been very difficult for me, Griffin said. 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. Couy Griffin, a county commissioner in Otero County, New Mexico, speaks on June 17 outside federal court in Washington, D.C., where he was convicted of entering a restricted area during the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol. He had also rhetorically suggested that the blood of political foes could be spilled at the Capitol in defense of the right to bear firearms. Were your resource. [7][8], Recall supporters listed five reasons for recall in their request to the Twelfth District Court, including:[2], At the recall hearing, Griffin called the recall supporters' allegations "frivolous, baseless and politically motivated," according to the Associated Press. But McFadden acquitted the defendant of disorderly conduct, finding prosecutors had not proved he was acting knowingly to disrupt a government proceeding. [3] Griffin appealed that decision to the New Mexico Supreme Court on April 19, 2021. Cowboys for Trump founder Couy Griffin skirted extra prison time for And in May, officials in Georgia ruled that Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene could remain on the ballot after her role in the Capitol riot. Nicole Maxwell can be contacted by email at [email protected], by phone at 575-415-6605 or on Twitter at @nicmaxreporter. Griffin is the second person to be tried of over 700 charged in connection with the riot that day. 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. On Jan. 6, Griffin joined thousands of people at the Capitol. 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.". The verdict may post grounds for his removal, the New Mexico Attorney General's Office speculated. Why didn't he stop Ashli instead of ASSIST Ashli? Why did he motion Byrd to wait? "(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.