Multiple University of New Mexico law students say they have lost trust in the UNM Law School administration, with 14 law student organizations signing an open letter urging the Provost and Board of Regents to decline to “recommend the renewal” of Law School Dean Camille Carey’s contract.
Some students’ concerns with the administration include lack of local student representation, unstable faculty retention, retaliatory and inconsistent practices and failing to protect students and ensure accountability in cases of sexual misconduct, the letter reads.
The letter comes after Carey spoke before the New Mexico House Judiciary Committee on Jan. 21, where she testified on a number of issues, some of which were brought forth to the committee by students and faculty.
The Daily Lobo reached out to Carey and Vice Dean Steven Homer for comment, which was forwarded to UNM Executive Director of Strategic Communications Ben Cloutier. Cloutier responded with a statement confirming that the University received the open letter from students at the School of Law.
“The University is reviewing the matters raised in the letter. The University remains committed to fulfilling the School of Law’s mission to supporting the students and communities it serves across New Mexico,” Cloutier wrote.
Third-year law student and UNM Native American Law Students Association President Chase Hobson said he watched the recording of Carey’s testimony for the House Judiciary Committee and felt that she “dropped the ball on some things.”
“There’s a lot of misinformation in there,” Hobson said. “It was kind of jarring to hear some of that misinformation, like the number of Native students enrolled, and how that was quoted per class.”
During the hearing, Carey tells the committee that there are 14 Indigenous students in the graduating UNM Law School Fall Class of 2025, before correcting her statement and confirming that there are 14 Indigenous students in the entire student body of 300, when questioned by the committee.
Hobson, a member of the Elk Valley Rancheria tribe in California, said he counted four Native American students in his class of 2026, seven in the class of 2027 and six Native students in the class of 2028.
“I think we can do so much better,” Hobson said. “And if you’re talking about, give or take 300 students in the total school, and 17 Native students, it’s an under-representation of New Mexico and when it comes to New Mexican tribes, extremely so.”
When asked about alternative pathways to the bar exam during the committee hearings, Carey told Martinez that she wants to make sure that the alternative pathway is in line with the School of Law’s priorities. When asked about specific priorities, Carey said she is “troubled by Native American bar pass rates,” and that she is “interested in seeing an alternative pathway that can address Native American licensure in New Mexico.”
Hobson said he felt Carey’s comments were insulting and that she “threw Natives under the bus immediately.”
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“She brought us in out of context and threw us under the bus in a way that made it seem like we, Native American bar-takers and students, are the reason why the number gets lower, and that was inappropriate,” Hobson said. “When we’re in actuality, a very small portion of the school, we’re talking about four students of a graduating class.”
When sexual misconduct was brought up at the Jan. 21 hearing, Carey said the law school is required to report any cases of alleged discrimination including gender discrimination or sexual misconduct to UNM’s Office of Compliance, Ethics and Equal Opportunity.
“At UNM, and at other universities, schools do not manage discrimination claims themselves,” Carey said. “This provides a fair, informed and consistent processing of claims.”
UNM School of Law faculty member Laura Gómez attended the committee hearing and said she was pleased to see the legislature exploring questions related to how the law school is serving New Mexico taxpayers.
“I believe we have a legacy and an ongoing duty to continue producing lawyers who look like New Mexico looks, who represent the diverse counties of New Mexico from all four corners of the state, who represent the nearly two dozen tribal nations in the state,” Gómez said.
On March 12, the New Mexico Hispanic Bar Association sent a letter to UNM President Garnett Stokes and UNM leadership expressing concerns about the low rate of law student admission of New Mexico residents and New Mexico Hispanics, calling for the Provost and Board of Regents to decline the renewal of Carey’s contract.
NMHBA president and UNM School of Law alum Sarah Gorman criticized the school’s decision to eliminate the student representative from the admissions committee. Gorman said she served in this role when she was a student.
Carey told the House Judiciary Committee that the school could no longer give a student the role because they were being exposed to “federally-protected information about classmates.”
Leila Chapa contributed reporting on this article.
Paloma Chapa is the multimedia editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at multimedia@dailylobo.com or on X @paloma_chapa88
Paloma Chapa is the multimedia editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at multimedia@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @paloma_chapa88
