Tag: judicial department
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Colorado lawmakers hear about increased judicial discipline complaints, fallout from Missy Woods misconduct
Members of the Colorado legislature’s judiciary committees heard about a large increase in complaints against judges and additional forensic misconduct that has come to light, during three days of oversight hearings last week. Leaders of several judicial-related agencies appeared between Jan. 20-23 to address their priorities and field questions from legislators. On behalf of the…
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Judicial fees, furniture under scrutiny as Colorado lawmakers consider budget request
Members of the legislature’s Joint Budget Committee expressed concerns last week about aspects of the judiciary’s requested $845 million budget for courts and probation, while also hearing about the Judicial Department’s relatively restrained spending over time. “If you adjust for inflation, spending has actually gone down” for the trial courts, said staff analyst Amanda Bickel.…
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Colorado Senate committee advances scaled-back bill to add judgeships, with more cuts looming
Colorado’s Senate Appropriations Committee approved a bill to create roughly two dozen new judgeships by a vote of 5-2 on Friday, in a slightly scaled-back effort to address high judicial workloads in many areas of the state. However, with the legislation now heading to the full Senate, one of its sponsors intends to propose cutting…
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Colorado Senate committee advances bill to create 29 judgeships, with lawmaker support delicate
The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced a bill to establish 29 new Colorado judgeships by a vote of 6-1 on Wednesday, with supporters and opponents both cautioning that their positions could change based on the availability of money. The committee heard testimony from numerous witnesses in support of the bill, including from sitting judges. Chief Justice…
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Senator criticizes Judicial Department for seeking budget increase and offering no cuts
A member of the powerful Joint Budget Committee criticized Colorado’s Judicial Department on Tuesday for seeking an increase to its budget without offering suggestions for cuts. “I think some people are misinformed or just don’t truly understand the situation that we’re in,” said Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, R-Brighton, at a joint hearing of the House and…
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Judicial Department paid $155,000 in settlements from 2 judges’ misconduct
The Judicial Department paid more than $155,000 to former employees and their attorneys in connection with the misconduct of two trial judges who the Colorado Supreme Court publicly disciplined in 2024. Last May, the Supreme Court censured former Arapahoe County District Court Judge John E. Scipione for failing to disclose an intimate relationship with a staff…
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Justice Melissa Hart tells Fountain Valley School graduates public service ‘is an attitude’
Justice Melissa Hart spoke about the value of public service and about her own recent work developing the state judiciary’s vision statement at a commencement ceremony in Colorado Springs on Saturday. “Ask yourself each day, ‘Did I stand up for someone less fortunate than myself? Take a risk for a good cause? Did I speak…