The New Mexico Supreme Court has ruled Albuquerque can bar its firefighters and other employees from running for elected office.
In a 49-page ruling Thursday, the state's high court reversed a lower court's ruling in the case of fire Capt. Emily Kane.
Kane served for two years in the state House before losing her re-election bid last year.
The city had sought to discipline Kane before she won a lower-court ruling that said the prohibition was unconstitutional.
The Supreme Court ruled that Albuquerque's prohibition served a "legitimate government purpose" — avoiding conflicts of interest and limiting the perception of partisan influence.
City attorneys argued that a 1989 amendment to the City Charter prohibited employees from holding an elected state office. A similar prohibition also was written into a city ordinance.
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