For Immediate Release

Albuquerque, NM - The group Move to Amend (MTA) is planning a 1-day protest on Friday, January 20, 2012 against the expansion of corporate personhood rights. The protest itself is called Occupy the Courts (OTC) and will take place at courthouses nationwide during normal business hours. Locations for this protest will include federal courthouses across the United States. The U.S. Marshals Service maintained awareness of the Occupy the Courts protests planned nationwide for Jan. 20, and worked with other involved government agencies, such as the Federal Protective Service (FPS), the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices (USAO), the General Services Administration (GSA) and local law enforcement, to plan accordingly.

The group made appearances at federal court houses in Santa Fe, Las Cruces and Albuquerque and with approximately 200 protesters in Albuquerque, 10 protestors in Santa Fe and 26 protesters in Las Cruces and Roswell. The demonstrations were peaceful and the Marshals Service had no interaction with the protesters. The United States Marshals Service coordinated with the Albuquerque Police Department here in Albuquerque, the Santa Fe Police department in Santa Fe, the Las Cruces Police Department in Las Cruces, the New Mexico State Police Department, FPS, GSA and the USAO to insure the protests went peacefully. The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects the right of individuals or groups to freely speak out or assemble. The Marshals Service goal, as always, is to ensure the safe and secure operation of the federal judiciary, which includes more than 400 locations in 94 federal court districts nationwide.

Additional information about the U.S. Marshals Service can be found at http://www.usmarshals.gov.

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