Supreme Court rules against White Peak land swap

The New Mexico Supreme Court ruled Monday that the controversial White Peak land swap violated the Enabling Act, which created the Land Grant Permanent Fund when New Mexico became a state in 1912. The ruling halted the land exchange, which has drawn widespread criticism, including from current land commissioner Ray Powell. “The Supreme Court concluded that these exchanges were pre-negotiated deals by the previous land commissioner that substantially constrained the potential for competition which is the essential element of a public auction,” Attorney General Gary King said in a statement...more