DOJ to Review New Mexico’s Sunshine Law — Why It Matters and What Happens Next

New Mexico’s Department of Justice will convene a task force to review the Inspection of Public Records Act, the state’s Sunshine Law, the Santa Fe New Mexican reports. House Joint Memorial 2, passed in the final hours of the 2026 30-day session, directs the department to study the law’s “workability and effectiveness.”

The move comes amid mounting complaints from records custodians in local and state agencies who are struggling to keep up with a rise in requests. In Carlsbad, officials have noted a 200% spike in records requests in recent years, according to transparency advocates. It also follows failed attempts to overhaul the law; critics including the Foundation for Open Government warned that those proposals could have significantly weakened transparency and accountability.

The task force will include representatives of the DOJ, the New Mexico Municipal League, New Mexico Counties, FOG, the American Civil Liberties Union and the New Mexico Press Association. FOG executive director Christine Barber said the group looked at why custodians wanted changes and found the answer was their heavy workload. Ideas the task force could examine include adding records custodians, posting more documents online and investing in better records management software.

Press Association President Belinda Mills said in a statement that any process must be grounded in the principle that public records belong to the public. DOJ spokesperson Chelsea Pitvorec did not say when the department would convene the panel but said it stands willing to lead the effort.

Editor’s note: Updated Oct. 31, 2026. This story is now part of Daily Reports, our New Mexico news roundup, and was revised to credit the Santa Fe New Mexican’s original reporting. Learn how Daily Reports works in our editorial standards.