A handful of New Mexico Republicans are calling for the impeachment of Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham after she issued executive orders limiting the use of firearms in public spaces.
State Rep. Rod Montoya and Congressmen Steve Pearce, Yvette Herrell, and Michelle Lujan Grisham called on Grisham to remove her orders, claiming they were unconstitutional and infringed on the rights of gun owners.
Montoya, who released a YouTube video featuring the lawmakers calling for the governor’s impeachment, accused Grisham of “running rogue” and stressed that the orders unilaterally bypassed the legislative process.
Grisham bristled at his criticism, arguing that her “common-sense” orders were necessary to curb gun violence, and noting that she acted within her constitutional authority as governor.
A formal impeachment process would begin with a petition submitted to the state House of Representatives, followed by a two-thirds vote in both houses of the legislature. It would then be up to the governor to remove herself from office or else face the possibility of a trial in New Mexico’s Supreme Court.
At present, there appears to be little chance of lawmakers actually taking the steps necessary to launch impeachment proceedings, and state Democrats have accused the Republican lawmakers of using the impeachment threats as a political ploy.
