ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Authorities say former New Mexico Chief Justice Charles Daniels has died.
Chief Justice Judith K. Nakamura issued a statement Sunday on behalf of the state Supreme Court about Daniels' death, calling him "a titan of the law."
A cause of death wasn't immediately released, but the Albuquerque Journal reports the 76-year-old Daniels had been ill for several months.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham says Daniels led New Mexico's highest court "with clarity and conviction, leaving a legacy rivaled by few."
Daniels was on the state Supreme Court from 2007 until his December 2018 retirement.
He was chief justice from 2010 to 2012 and from 2016 to 2017.
State Attorney General Hector Balderas called Daniels "a champion of fairness and equality."
Daniels is survived by his wife, four children and seven grandchildren.