Lawsuit against Adair may be resolved in Las Cruces

A judge has scheduled a settlement conference in Las Cruces in the case of a state senator who is being sued by the American Civil Liberties Union for allegedly barring a man from a committee meeting in violation of his First Amendment rights.

Virgil Beagles, a Roswell Democrat who has been a vocal critic of Sen. Rod Adair, R-Roswell, alleges he was barred from the meeting on Feb. 16 by the senator. The lawsuit was filed by the ACLU on behalf of Beagles in May.

The case is assigned to Federal Magistrate Carmen Garza. The settlement conference will be held on Nov. 29, the Roswell Daily Record is reporting.

Adair’s attorney told the newspaper the senator “intends to vigorously defend against the allegations.” Adair admits to speaking to the Senate’s security after a confrontation with Beagles, but says he didn’t demand the Beagles be barred from the hearing.