District Judge Larry Ramirez of Las Cruces resigned late Friday, according to the Las Cruces Sun-News.
The governor’s office said it had not received a resignation letter from the judge. The newspaper quoted Ramirez’s attorney, who said his resignation was effective today.
Ramirez had been waiting for the New Mexico Supreme Court to rule on a petition for immediate, temporary suspension while the Judicial Standards Commission investigated allegations that he engaged in an ongoing pattern of sexual harassment and making inappropriate comments.
Gov. Bill Richardson heaped praise on Ramirez last weekend during a fundraiser for Patricia Madrid, who is trying to unseat Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M. Sources tell me Ramirez’s resignation had been in the works for several weeks.
Ramirez had a history of problems. He was on judicial probation following an incident in which he inappropriately hushed a defense attorney in court and another incident in which he admitted to improperly involving himself in is son’s alcohol-citation case.
There were two prior investigations by the Administrative Office of the Courts into Ramirez’s conduct. One found in 2004 that sexual harassment had occurred, and Ramirez had to undergo counseling and sexual harassment training. Months later, the second found that Ramirez had engaged in improper conduct in the courtroom, leading to him being reassigned away from the juvenile drug court.
The commission could still ask the high court to ban Ramirez from ever again seeking judicial office.