MLG/NM Courts attempting an end run around Congress, White House on EV mandates?

According to Albuquerque Journal coverage of a New Mexico Appeals court the State of New Mexico can still plan to requires that electric vehicles comprise 43% of new passenger cars and light-duty trucks delivered to New Mexico for model year 2027, which starts this year. This, despite the fact that Congress (including New Mexico Democrat Gabe Vazquez) repealed California’s ability to set its own “clean air” standards and thus the ability of several “blue” states like New Mexico to follow along with those standards. 

As the Journal article notes there is simply no way (and never was) for New Mexico auto dealers to comply with the 43% EV sales mandate considering that EV’s comprised only 3.23% of vehicles sold in New Mexico in 2025.

Of course, New Mexico adopted its EV mandate via an unelected board with the members appointed by the Gov. Congress is at least elected.

Will New Mexico’s courts eventually back down? Will they attempt to foist EV sales requirements despite federal law to the contrary? Will New Mexico car dealers be pushed to accept and sell EV’s or will they simply ignore the law?

None of these questions have easy answers. We asked Carlos Garcia of Garcia Honda (interviewed in the Journal article) and he didn’t have any thoughts beyond what he expressed in the article.

No kings (or queens) indeed!