New Mexicans for Free Enterprise v. City of Santa Fe
New Mexico Court of Appeals
126 P.3d 1149 (2005)

- Written by Darius Dehghan, JD
Facts
N.M. Const. art. X, § 6 was known as the home-rule amendment. Under the amendment, a municipality that adopted a home-rule charter was granted broad authority over matters of local concern. The city of Santa Fe (the city) (defendant) adopted such a charter and became a home-rule municipality. The city enacted an ordinance that mandated certain city-based businesses to pay a minimum wage higher than the state and federal minimum wage. The ordinance applied to employers that were licensed in the city and that had 25 or more workers. Employees were permitted to bring civil actions against employers that violated the ordinance. New Mexicans for Free Enterprise (NMFE) (plaintiff) brought suit, contending that the city did not have the power to enact the ordinance. The district court found that the city had the power to enact the ordinance. NMFE appealed.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Fry, J.)
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