LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) - Prosecutors have filed a misdemeanor ethics charge against a Las Cruces judge already accused of bribery in a pay-to-play scandal with alleged ties to former Gov. Bill Richardson.
The Las Cruces Sun-News reports that state District Court Judge Michael Murphy has been charged with violating the "ethical principles of public service" law.
Murphy is accused of telling a potential judicial candidate that if she wanted a seat on the bench she needed to donate to the Democratic Party through a Dona Ana County political activist linked to Richardson.
Allegations in a special prosecutor's report imply the practice was common in the district during Richardson's time in office.
Richardson called the accusations "outrageous and defamatory."
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
