On March 18, a lower state court refused to strike down New Mexico’s closed primary law.  The plaintiff, an independent voter, will appeal to the higher state courts.  The case is Crum v Duran, 2nd district, 202-cv-2014-3730.  See this story.  The Republican Party had intervened in the case in defense of a closed primary for itself.  The Democratic Party, although invited to intervene, did not take any action. Here is the decision.

The basis for the lawsuit had been Art. VII, section 1, which says, “Every person who is a qualified elector pursuant to the Constitution and laws of the United States and a citizen thereof shall be qualified to vote in all elections in New Mexico, subject to residency and registration requirements.”