[1] In 1967 he was one of Chicano activist Reies Tijerina Lopez's defense lawyers.
[2] Franchini was appointed judge in the Second Judicial District in 1975, but resigned to 1981 to protest mandatory sentencing legislation, which he strongly opposed.
[1] Franchini died in 2009 of a heart attack in Albuquerque while giving an annual lecture on ethics and the role of the judge to University of New Mexico law students.
The mock trial program in New Mexico is named in his honor.
[4] The National High School Mock Trial Championship awards a Justice Gene Franchini Golden Gavel Award in honor of his contributions.