SANTA FE – Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Tuesday issued the following statement upon the death earlier this week of longtime University of New Mexico Law School dean and faculty member Fred Hart:

“Fred Hart’s impact on the law school and UNM community cannot be overstated. He was a visionary and thoughtful leader, a devoted colleague and friend to so many New Mexicans and attorneys who passed through the school, myself included. For more than half a century, he was an encouraging mentor, a tireless advocate for inclusion and diversity, and a compassionate and incisive educator and devotee of the law.

“New Mexico’s legal community is infinitely better for his having touched and shaped it; literally countless people serving the law and working all across in New Mexico and beyond are better for having known him in professional and personal capacities. My prayers are with his family, friends and colleagues, and I know his memory and the significant legacy he leaves will be a blessing.”