Opinion ID: 891705
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: State v. Gomez' requirements for preserving arguments under the New Mexico Constitution.

Text: {38} The preservation requirements effective when Leyva filed his appeal were set forth by this Court in Gomez over fourteen years ago. Since that time, Gomez often has been construed more strictly than intended. Although it has been suggested that the Gomez rule should be altered to encourage development of our state constitutional jurisprudence, see State v. Garcia, 2009-NMSC-046, ¶ 56, 147 N.M. 134, 217 P.3d 1032 (Bosson, J., specially concurring); J. Thomas Sullivan, Developing a State Constitutional Strategy in New Mexico Criminal Prosecutions, 39 N.M. L.Rev. 407, 420-22 (2009), we conclude that Gomez' rule is soundbut that some opinions have strayed by imposing a higher standard, unwarranted by Rule 12-216. {39} The defendant in Gomez filed a motion to suppress evidence found during a car search conducted in the absence of a warrant or exigent circumstances, stating that the search violated his rights under the Fourth Amendment and Article II, Section 10; he cited cases interpreting Article II, Section 10 more expansively than the Fourth Amendment during argument on the motion. 1997-NMSC-006, ¶¶ 3, 10, 122 N.M. 777, 932 P.2d 1. The Court of Appeals found the defendant did not preserve his state constitutional argument because he not only failed to articulate why the New Mexico Constitution affords greater protection under these circumstances, but failed to even mention the state constitution. Id. ¶ 12. On appeal the defendant argued that the fundamental goals underlying Rule 12-216 were met because the facts needed for a ruling on the existence of exigent circumstances were developed adequately and the trial court ruled on that issue. Id. ¶ 13. The defendant characterized the Court of Appeals' preservation ruling as one that treated the New Mexico Constitution as the poor cousin of the federal constitution, and that the preservation requirements should be the same. Id. {40} This Court agreed with the defendant and ruled that his state constitutional argument was preserved. Id. ¶ 31. After explicitly adopting the interstitial approach to state constitutional analysis, in which the appellate courts review reasons for departure from the federal standard, id. ¶ 20, we set forth the preservation requirements for assignments of error under the state constitution. When a litigant asserts protection under a New Mexico Constitutional provision that has a parallel or analogous provision in the United States Constitution, the requirements for preserving the claim for appellate review depend on current New Mexico precedent construing that state constitutional provision. If established precedent construes the provision to provide more protection than its federal counterpart, the claim may be preserved by (1) asserting the constitutional principle that provides the protection sought under the New Mexico Constitution, and (2) showing the factual basis needed for the trial court to rule on the issue. This is no more than is required of litigants asserting a right under the federal constitution, a federal statute, a state statute, or common law. That is, Rule 12-216 requires that litigants fairly invoke a ruling by the trial court in order to raise that question on appeal. Assertion of the legal principle and development of the facts are generally the only requirement to assert a claim on appeal. However, when a party asserts a state constitutional right that has not been interpreted differently than its federal analog, a party also must assert in the trial court that the state constitutional provision at issue should be interpreted more expansively than the federal counterpart and provide reasons for interpreting the state provision differently from the federal provision. This will enable the trial court to tailor proceedings and to effectuate an appropriate ruling on the issue. Id. ¶¶ 22-23 (footnote and headings omitted). [6] {41} Gomez concluded that the defendant preserved his claim of error under the state constitution by arguing in his motion to suppress, in which he set forth the facts necessary for a ruling, that his rights were violated under Article II, Section 10, because [t]here is established New Mexico law interpreting Article II, Section 10 more expansively than the Fourth Amendment. Id. ¶¶ 24, 27. In addition, the defendant cited a case discussing exigent circumstances, id. ¶ 25, and the district court ruled directly on the issue of the presence of exigent circumstances in denying the motion to suppress, id. ¶ 28. Gomez held that, although the defendant did not cite cases interpreting Article II, Section 10 more expansively, this did not operate to prejudice the State in any way because the district court is charged with knowing and correctly applying established New Mexico precedent interpreting the state constitution. Id. ¶ 30. Where New Mexico courts have taken a different path than federal courts, our precedent governs regardless of whether a party cites specific cases in support of a constitutional principle, so long as the party has asserted the principle recognized in the cases and has developed the facts adequately to give the opposing party an opportunity to respond and to give the court an opportunity to rule. Id. {42} Gomez' preservation requirements were articulated so that arguments made under the New Mexico Constitution were preserved under Rule 12-216 in the same manner as any other argument; only where a state constitutional provision had never been interpreted to provide greater protection than its federal analog are parties required to alert the trial court and articulate reasons for departure. The reason for this slightly greater burden flows from our adoption of the interstitial approach: in order for a court to consider whether the state constitution provides greater protection than the federal constitution, the court must be persuaded that there are reasons to depart from the federal analysis. Thus, providing the court with reasons for departure is part of trial counsel's duty to present the district court with facts necessary to make a ruling and create a record for appellate review. [7] {43} Since this Court decided Gomez, New Mexico's appellate courts have purported fidelity to its preservation requirements. See, e.g., Garcia, 2009-NMSC-046, ¶¶ 10-13, 147 N.M. 134, 217 P.3d 1032; Montoya v. Ulibarri, 2007-NMSC-035, ¶¶ 18-19, 142 N.M. 89, 163 P.3d 476; State v. Cardenas-Alvarez, 2001-NMSC-017, ¶¶ 11-13, 130 N.M. 386, 25 P.3d 225; State v. Ochoa, 2009-NMCA-002, ¶¶ 9-11, 146 N.M. 32, 206 P.3d 143. At times, however, the discussion of preservation requirements has been blended with the interstitial analysis in a manner that has resulted in the articulation of a preservation standard that exceeds that set forth in and intended by Gomez. See, e.g., State v. Munoz, 2008-NMCA-090, ¶ 24, 144 N.M. 350, 187 P.3d 696 (referring to Gomez' teaching of the interstitial approach for preserving state constitutional arguments). A review of the cases often cited for their discussion of preservation requirements will assist us in distilling the principles of Gomez. {44} In Cardenas-Alvarez, we held that the defendant preserved his argument that a border checkpoint stop violated Article II, Section 10. 2001-NMSC-017, ¶¶ 1, 13, 130 N.M. 386, 25 P.3d 225. Noting the many cases that had interpreted Article II, Section 10 to provide broader protection than the Fourth Amendment, we found that the defendant asserted the state constitutional principle that provides the protection he seeks and . . . he provided a factual basis upon which the trial court could rule on the issue. Id. ¶ 12. Although the defendant did not explicitly cite Article II, Section 10, the argument that the state constitution provided protection against unreasonable searches and seizures, made during closing arguments, was held to be sufficient to satisfy the requirements of Rule 12-216. Id. ¶ 13. We then concluded that an extra layer of protection from unreasonable searches and seizures involving automobiles is a distinct characteristic of New Mexico constitutional law. Id. ¶ 15. Cardenas-Alvarez correctly applied our teachings from Gomez: the defendant alerted the district court to the Article II, Section 10 argument and set forth the facts necessary for the court to rule on that argument, and the appellate court determined that departure from the federal standard was necessary. Id. {45} Other cases also have executed Gomez' preservation requirements properly. In Montoya, this Court found a state constitutional argument had been preserved where the defendant asserted that the applicable state constitutional provision provided greater protection than the federal analog and set forth the facts necessary for the trial court to rule on the issue. 2007-NMSC-035, ¶ 18, 142 N.M. 89, 163 P.3d 476; see also State v. Paul T., 1999-NMSC-037, ¶¶ 13, 26, 128 N.M. 360, 993 P.2d 74 (finding the state constitutional argument was preserved where the defendant argued that Article II, Section 10 provides greater protection than the Fourth Amendment and provided the factual basis necessary for a ruling because Gomez requires no more); State v. Granville, 2006-NMCA-098, ¶ 14, 140 N.M. 345, 142 P.3d 933 (compiling cases in which Article II, Section 10 has been construed more broadly than the Fourth Amendment and noting that [the d]efendant need only to have alerted the trial court to the legal issue and to have developed the facts necessary to rule on that issue in order to preserve his Article II, Section 10 argument). {46} In contrast, some cases have imposed a higher preservation standard. Duran did not address Article II, Section 10 because the defendant did not address how the New Mexico Constitution may afford her greater protection than the federal Constitution. . . . 2005-NMSC-034, ¶ 22, 138 N.M. 414, 120 P.3d 836. In Ochoa, the Court of Appeals determined the defendant had met the preservation standard because he had asserted that the exact issue of the case (pretextual stops) had not been considered under Article II, Section 10. 2009-NMCA-002, ¶ 9, 146 N.M. 32, 206 P.3d 143; see also Funderburg, 2008-NMSC-026, ¶ 12, 144 N.M. 37, 183 P.3d 922 (not reviewing the defendant's state constitutional argument on appeal because [the d]efendant did not argue below, and does not argue to this Court, that the New Mexico Constitution provides any greater protection than the Federal Constitution in the context of this case). {47} Other cases have created exceptions to the preservation requirements. In Garcia, this Court excepted the defendant from Gomez' preservation requirements because the question of whether the defendant was seized under Article II, Section 10 was raised in the suppression motion but not argued until the State asserted it as a right for any reason argument to the Court of Appeals. Garcia, 2009-NMSC-046, ¶¶ 7, 12, 147 N.M. 134, 217 P.3d 1032; see also Rivera, 2010-NMSC-046, ¶ 14, 148 N.M. 659, 241 P.3d 1099 (Because [the d]efendant prevailed at the district court level, her citation to the New Mexico Constitution was adequate to preserve the state constitutional claim. (citing Garcia, 2009-NMSC-046, ¶ 12, 147 N.M. 134, 217 P.3d 1032)). These cases, though reaching the right result, did so in a way unnecessarily restrictive of Gomez' rule. {48} Justice Bosson, in his special concurrence in Garcia, drew attention to the higher standard courts were setting for preserving arguments under the state constitution and encouraged a new look at the preservation requirements. 2009-NMSC-046, ¶ 56, 147 N.M. 134, 217 P.3d 1032 (Bosson, J., specially concurring). In particular, Justice Bosson highlighted the confusion that has developed in application of Gomez' preservation standard when a state constitutional provision has already been interpreted, with courts requiring previous discussion of the particular claim or principle rather than the provision. Id. ¶¶ 54-55 (In practical effect, it could require litigants to meet the higher Gomez burden each time a new argument or fact pattern under search and seizure is brought before a state court. . . . This is unduly burdensome in the context of search and seizure, and . . . unnecessary.). We agree that the proper inquiry under Gomez is whether the provision of the state constitution has previously been construed to provide broader protection than its federal counterpart, and disavow any prior statements to the contrary. See, e.g., State v. Ochoa, 2004-NMSC-023, ¶ 6, 135 N.M. 781, 93 P.3d 1286 (Thus, we assume without deciding that both constitutions afford equal protection to individuals against unreasonable seizures in this context, and we analyze the constitutionality of the seizure under one uniform standard. (emphasis added)). Preserving a state constitutional argument continues to follow the steps set forth in Gomez.