State historian for New Mexico is the subject of a free speech complaint

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SANTA FE - A man from Santa Fe is suing the state historian of New Mexico, claiming that the removal of his Facebook comments from the official's page violates his right to free expression.

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Rob Martinez is accused by Daniel Ortiz of breaking the New Mexico Constitution's provisions protecting free speech in his civil rights case, which was filed in state district court on December 16.

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According to the complaint, the remarks were removed because of the viewpoint Ortiz expressed.

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In addition to seeking Ortiz's specific damages, the case asks the court to require Martinez to cease deleting comments based on people's opinions.

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Ortiz told the Santa Fe New Mexican that "he's been using his position to put forth a narrative that is Hispanophobic and against Hispanic history and culture."

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Martinez informed The Associated Press via email that he was unable to comment on the ongoing legal action.

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Martinez's employer, the New Mexico Commission of Public Records and Archives, is also named as a defendant in the lawsuit but did not reply to a request for comment.

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Martinez contributes a monthly history column to The New Mexican. She has occasionally written positively about how the Spanish treated Native Americans 

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According to the lawsuit, Martinez removed Ortiz's comments after posting a link to a column about Spain's Christian Reconquista on Facebook on October 1.

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