New Mexico Supreme Court to hear bond amendment arguments

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico Supreme Court will soon consider two cases involving the state's rules for granting bail. The Santa Fe New Mexican reports (http://bit.ly/2oQiSG9 ) that the cases are very different, but both ask what evidence prosecutors must provide to justify keeping an accused person in jail without bond. A state constitutional amendment passed in November gives judges the authority to keep a defendant in jail without the option of posting bond, but only if prosecutors present "clear and convincing evidence" that the person dangerous. Prosecutors and criminal defense attorneys are still unsure how to implement the amendment. Several cases involving the interpretation of the amendment are already pending in the New Mexico Court of Appeals.