How DEI is lowering NM legal standards and putting justice at risk

The Piñon Post ^ | February 19, 2025 | Piñon Post staff

[CedarDave]

On Tuesday (2/18), the all-Democrat New Mexico Supreme Court issued a statement reaffirming its commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion within the judicial system. The Court framed its stance as a necessity for upholding justice, citing its duty to “eliminate barriers” and ensure “equal access” for all individuals, regardless of race, gender, or other demographic factors. While these ideals may sound noble, the actual implementation of DEI initiatives has proven to be deeply flawed, often undermining the very principles of equal justice and meritocracy that courts should uphold.

The core principle of the American legal system is that justice should be blind—meaning that every individual, regardless of their background, should be treated equally under the law. However, DEI inherently prioritizes group identity over individual merit. By emphasizing race, gender, and other identity markers in decision-making, DEI initiatives risk replacing the ideal of impartial justice with an ideological agenda.

True equality before the law requires neutrality, not policies that introduce preferential treatment under the guise of “equity.”

One major flaw of DEI programs in the legal system is their impact on professional and educational standards. DEI-driven hiring and promotion policies in law schools, courts, and judicial appointments have been criticized for lowering qualifications in favor of demographic representation rather than competency. This diminishes public trust in the system and creates an environment where judges and legal professionals are perceived as political appointees rather than objective arbiters of the law.

Furthermore, DEI programs often foster resentment and division rather than unity. By continually emphasizing group identity over shared legal principles, such programs risk deepening societal fractures rather than healing them. Multiple studies have shown that workplaces and institutions with aggressive DEI policies often experience greater racial tension, as people are categorized based on identity rather than shared goals or common values.

[CedarDave]

DEI inherently prioritizes group identity over individual merit. By emphasizing race, gender, and other identity markers in decision-making, DEI initiatives risk replacing the ideal of impartial justice with an ideological agenda.

This essentially is the current condition of courts in New Mexico. With the abolition of bail, judges have to decide whether the person arrested for a serious crime can be released while awaiting trial. Many judges support DEI and thus inherently favor the criminal over the victim because of believed lack of equity in his/her background. Thus the person is free to return to his comfort place and associate with those who are also law offenders and the pattern repeats..

[CedarDave]

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[Jyotishi]

DEI is lowering some people’s ability to understand even the title of this thread.

[econjack]

Providing equal opportunity is a good thing. Policies that attempt to insure equal outcomes is always going to hurt someone because people are just not equally talented.

[Harpotoo]

Isn’t affirmative action illegal?

[FlingWingFlyer]

Trump really needs to turnover the entire state of New Mexico back to the Navajos.