RCFP urges New Mexico lawmakers to pass anti-SLAPP bill

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press is urging New Mexico lawmakers to pass a bill that would allow courts to quickly dismiss frivolous lawsuits designed to chill speech about matters of public interest.

In a letter to the New Mexico House of Representatives Consumer & Public Affairs Committee, the Reporters Committee expressed strong support for House Bill 169, which would make it harder for powerful parties to intimidate or punish speech through strategic lawsuits against public participation, known as SLAPPs. 

“For journalists and news organizations — as well as the public who relies on journalism to stay informed — SLAPPs are particularly pernicious,” the letter states, adding that news organizations and journalists in New Mexico and across the country are frequent targets of SLAPPs that aim to silence reporting through expensive, protracted litigation. 

HB169 largely mirrors the Uniform Public Expression Protection Act, a model anti-SLAPP law that creates a clear process to swiftly dismiss meritless claims. 

Thirty-five states and the District of Columbia have adopted anti-SLAPP laws, and 10 states have enacted a version of UPEPA, including, most recently, Ohio. In its letter, the Reporters Committee says New Mexico should be the eleventh.

“Unflinching journalism is essential to expose wrongdoing and hold powerful public figures and officials to account,” the letter states. “Such vital news reporting depends upon journalists’ ability to identify, investigate, and report stories without fear that the subjects of their reporting will target them or their newsroom with costly, meritless litigation.”