SANTA FE – New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has granted clemency for 12 people convicted of crimes in the state.
The governor’s office announced the pardons Wednesday, saying most of those receiving clemency had been convicted of a nonviolent offense.
The convictions included drug possession, auto burglary, forgery and fraud, among others. All but one of the offenses dated back more than a decade, with some dating back to the 1980s.
Some of the applicants provided clemency by Lujan Grisham had also applied for pardons under the previous administrations of Republican Susana Martinez and Democrat Bill Richardson. During her two terms, Martinez denied at least 72 pardon applications, including 13 in which the state Parole Board recommended approval, according to records provided by the board in 2018.
The latest pardons come on the heels of 19 others issued by Lujan Grisham last summer. Those had been the first pardons issued in the state since 2012.
The governor’s pardoning power extends to all crimes committed under state law other than the offenses of impeachment and treason. The governor does not have authority to pardon convictions for violations of municipal ordinances or from other jurisdictions, such as convictions from other states and federal convictions.