Tag: colorado judicial department
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New rules for private judges in Colorado include discipline oversight, campaign contributions
The Colorado Supreme Court recently determined the state’s private judges — retired jurists appointed to oversee civil cases that rarely get public scrutiny — can now make political contributions freely and without reserve, overruling a prohibition that had been in place for decades. The move comes a year after a Denver Gazette investigation into the…
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Colorado Supreme Court’s opinion output drops by two-thirds amid justice’s absence
The Colorado Supreme Court has released significantly fewer new opinions in recent months compared to the previous two years, even as the judicial branch insisted that a member’s open-ended absence is not causing delays. Justice Melissa Hart has been on an unusual leave of absence since Oct. 28, although she also was gone for the…
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Colorado House Judiciary Committee advances bill to add 15 judges
Colorado’s House Judiciary Committee advanced a bill to establish 15 new judgeships throughout the state by a vote of 9-2 on Tuesday. Senate Bill 24 is the Judicial Department’s top priority this year. As originally proposed, it would have added 26 judge seats in the trial courts and three seats on the Court of Appeals. The numbers…
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Judicial discipline proposal draws Colorado lawmaker skepticism
During a legislative oversight hearing on Friday, judicial leaders revealed that a man who broke into the Ralph L. Carr Colorado Judicial Center earlier this month caused $35 million in damage, resulting in several offices being off-limits for months to come. Chief Justice Brian D. Boatright told members of the House and Senate judiciary committees…