New Mexico court to hear arguments over public health order

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — It will be up to the New Mexico Supreme Court to decide a case over the state’s authority to enforce certain provisions of public health orders amid the coronavirus pandemic. Arguments will be presented during an Aug. 4 remote hearing. About a dozen business owners and companies sued in May, challenging Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's authority to levy hefty fines for violating public health orders. Initially filed in the state’s 9th Judicial District, the lawsuit seeks a permanent injunction barring the state from threatening to impose the larger fines. She has declined to reopen any more of the economy because of an uptick in COVID-19 cases.