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New Mexico court rules on military pensions in divorce cases

  SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico Supreme Court ruled Thursday that state courts cannot order a veteran to reimburse a former spouse for a share of the veteran’s military pension under a divorce agreement that ended when the veteran opted to receive disability benefits instead. However, the justices’ unanimous decision said trial judges can consider other legal options for adjusting the financial support the veteran provides his or her former spouse. The New Mexico high court partly hinged its ruling on a 2017 U.S. Supreme Court decision. That decision prevented states from treating waived military retirement benefits as community property that can be divided in a divorce.