Tag: free speech
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Federal judge eases path for plaintiffs to hold Denver liable for 2020 protest response
A federal judge last month reversed course on her previous decision and ruled a group of one dozen plaintiffs who were injured during the police response to Denver protests can hold the city liable for failing to train its officers on the use of chemical weapons and projectiles. Last March, U.S. District Court Judge Nina Y.…
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Federal judge allows inmate to challenge prison’s confiscation of allegedly dangerous book
A federal judge has permitted an incarcerated man to challenge prison officials’ decision to withhold a book that allegedly depicted or encouraged disruption. Rodney C. Hamrick is incarcerated at the Administrative Maximum Facility in Florence, also known as “supermax” or “ADX.” In 2022, the warden rejected two books Hamrick received, both of which were written…
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Federal judge upholds man’s convictions for video recording inside Social Security office
A federal judge last month upheld a man’s convictions for video recording inside a Littleton office of the U.S. Social Security Administration without permission, notwithstanding his claim that he was trying to “stress test the First Amendment.” Christopher J. Cordova was convicted of two misdemeanors for failing to comply with official signs and unlawfully photographing…
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Federal judge green-lights trial over arrest of protester at Denver mayor’s 2019 inauguration
A federal judge indicated on Monday that it is a jury’s role to decide whether Denver police officers violated a woman’s rights by arresting her for disrupting the inauguration ceremony of then-Mayor Michael Hancock in 2019. U.S. District Court Senior Judge William J. Martínez found the officers had not performed a clearly unconstitutional seizure of Caryn…
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Colorado Supreme Court dodges constitutional question, dismisses latest Masterpiece Cakeshop case on procedural grounds
The Colorado Supreme Court, by 4-3, declined on Tuesday to address the high-profile issue of a Christian baker’s refusal to make a cake for a customer celebrating a gender transition, instead concluding the case was not properly filed in the first place. Previously, a trial judge and the state’s Court of Appeals found Masterpiece Cakeshop, owned…
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Colorado Supreme Court accepts cases on DNA exoneration, medical negligence, online reviews
The Colorado Supreme Court announced this month it will hear appeals in four cases, including one that questions the level of detail a convicted defendant must provide when asserting the existence of DNA evidence that could exonerate him. At least three of the court’s seven members must agree to take up an appeal. The justices…
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By 2-1, 10th Circuit rejects request to block Colorado’s conversion therapy ban
Colorado’s 2019 ban on the provision of “conversion therapy” for LGBTQ children will remain in effect after the federal appeals court based in Denver declined on Thursday to block the law on constitutional grounds. Kaley Chiles, a licensed counselor in Colorado Springs, alleged the law violated her First Amendment rights and sought a preliminary injunction.…
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10th Circuit partially reinstates religious discrimination lawsuit of ex-Douglas County schools administrator
A former high school administrator may pursue his claims of religious discrimination against the Douglas County School District, the federal appeals court based in Denver ruled on Tuesday. Corey McNellis worked at Ponderosa High School for 14 years and was the athletic director and assistant principal at the time of his termination in October 2020. According…
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Federal judge dismisses challenge to Colorado law prohibiting online posting of police officers’ personal info
A federal judge last week dismissed a man’s constitutional challenge to a Colorado law prohibiting the online dissemination of certain personal identifying information, while simultaneously noting the law did not appear to criminalize the man’s objective of posting details about one specific state trooper. Andrew Thomas Scott is a process server who attempted to deliver…
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Appeals court rules Colorado free speech law applies in eviction cases, urges legislature to reconsider
Colorado’s second-highest court ruled for the first time last week that a 2019 law intended to protect First Amendment activity from litigation does apply to eviction proceedings and to claims across the board, not simply to defamation lawsuits. However, in an unusual move, a three-judge panel for the Court of Appeals explicitly called on lawmakers…