Tag: judge raymond moore
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Colorado’s federal judges slash motions backlog to lowest in years
Colorado’s federal trial judges collectively had 37 motions in civil cases that had been sitting on their dockets for at least six months without a ruling, as of Sept. 30. That is the smallest backlog the state’s U.S. District Court has experienced since September 2017, before many of the current judges were even on the…
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Federal judge sides with Douglas County School District in ex-admin’s discrimination lawsuit
A federal judge concluded last week that a former high school administrator had not proven his claims of religious discrimination against the Douglas County School District. Corey McNellis had worked at Ponderosa High School since 2002 and served as the athletic director and assistant principal at the time of his termination in October 2020. According to…
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10th Circuit upholds financial incentive for lawyers to take on challenges to immigration detention
The Denver-based federal appeals court ruled on Monday that the law allowing attorneys to recover their costs for prevailing against the government does apply to successful legal challenges to immigration detention. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit acknowledged a decision to the contrary would deter legal representation for…
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4 federal judges in Colorado advocate for Congress to create new judgeships
Four federal judges from Colorado were among the hundreds of signatories this month to a letter urging Congress to pass legislation creating 66 new judgeships in trial courts across multiple presidential administrations — starting next year with President-elect Donald Trump. This summer, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed the JUDGES Act, which would increase the size of…
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Federal judge sides with Teller County sheriff in whistleblower lawsuit
A federal judge concluded last month that a whistleblower lawsuit could not succeed against Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell, nor could the related claims of retaliation lodged by a former commander in the office. Ronald “Greg” Couch worked for the sheriff’s office between 2014 and 2021. In his telling, his relationship with Mikesell began to…
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10th Circuit fixes oversight, overturns judge’s order in prisoner lawsuit
Although the federal appeals court based in Denver declined on Tuesday to revisit its prior ruling making it easier for prison officials to defeat lawsuits from incarcerated plaintiffs, it corrected a seeming oversight and overturned a judge’s order that both sides took issue with. In March, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals…
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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 sanctions plaintiff $5,000 for ‘baseless’ filings, ‘misogynistic attacks’
A federal judge on Monday ordered a self-represented plaintiff to pay $5,000 for a string of offensive actions, including his treatment of a female attorney, meritless motions and refusal to correct his conduct after being warned. Although U.S. District Court Senior Judge Raymond P. Moore did not cite Ethan West-Helmle’s attacks on him — which resembled…
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Federal judge sides with Denver Health in ex-paramedic’s discrimination lawsuit
A federal judge concluded last month that evidence showed a former Denver Health paramedic was not fired because of his sexual orientation, as he alleged, but because his employer believed he exhibited poor judgment and resisted efforts to coach him professionally. Jordan Christensen filed suit under federal and state civil rights law asserting unwelcome treatment…
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Colorado’s federal judges slash motions backlog, with a little outside help
Data released last month by the federal judiciary showed that several of Colorado’s federal trial judges successfully reduced or even eliminated the volume of motions pending for six months or longer on their dockets. The Civil Justice Reform Act of 1990 requires public reporting of motions awaiting action for more than six months in civil matters assigned to…