New Mexico appeals court to hear Farmington police filming case at Roswell school

A Farmington police encounter over a traffic stop and a camera will move into a Roswell high school gym Friday, when the New Mexico Court of Appeals hears City of Farmington v. A. Howell in public at Goddard High School.

The oral argument, Court of Appeals No. A-1-CA-42673, is scheduled for 10 a.m. May 1, 2026 in the gymnasium at 701 East Country Club Rd. The appellate panel will weigh a dispute that began in Farmington in 2023, when Adam Howell was filming a police traffic stop for his website, Press for Transparency, and was arrested after police said he refused an order to move across the street.

Howell’s argument is straightforward and carries broader consequences for how officers handle people who record police activity in public. He contends the order to leave was unreasonable and that he had a First Amendment right to film the traffic stop. The city’s position in the case will test how far officers can go in directing bystanders during roadside enforcement and how much authority local governments have when they say someone interfered with police work.

For San Juan County residents, the case matters because it comes out of a local traffic stop, local police conduct and a local city defense that can ripple into future arrests, internal policy and legal costs. A ruling in Farmington’s favor could strengthen police discretion during roadside encounters. A ruling for Howell could narrow what officers may order when someone is standing nearby and recording.

The Court of Appeals is holding the argument at a school as part of a Law Day observance, an effort the court says is designed to let students and the public see oral argument firsthand and learn the role of the judicial branch. Chief Judge Jennifer L. Attrep said, “The Court of Appeals is excited to start holding oral arguments at schools around the state again. These oral arguments present students with an opportunity to learn firsthand about the law and the role of the judicial branch of government.”

Law Day falls on May 1, and the American Bar Association’s 2026 theme is “The Rule of Law and the American Dream.” New Mexico’s judicial branch includes the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, 34 district courts, 43 magistrate courts in 13 judicial districts, the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court, 33 county probate courts and 78 municipal courts serving the state.