Tag: judiciary
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2025 Unfiltered: Colorado Supreme Court vacancy, surge in federal filings and more
This year was awash in legal news nationally, with federal courts taking an outsize role in responding to executive branch actions. In Colorado, that effect was evident, but it was not the only factor at play. Here are the top developments in 2025 from the state and federal judiciaries. Unexpected vacancy There was an unusual,…
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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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Trump’s executive orders prompt US Attorney Office to pull out of Colorado judge’s diversity program
A pair of executive orders issued by President Donald Trump this week has prompted the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Colorado to withdraw from a federal judge’s longstanding internship program for law students of diverse backgrounds. Retired U.S. Magistrate Judge Kristen L. Mix started the Diversity Internship Program in 2014 to place University of Colorado and…
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Error-prone judge returns to bench after chief justice authorizes part-time service
A retired Douglas County judge is now back on the bench, despite the state’s appellate court overturning convictions and sentences in numerous criminal cases she handled due to her errors. District Court Judge Patricia Herron stepped down from active service in December 2023. But in October, Chief Justice Monica M. Márquez signed a contract permitting…
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Judicial branch tells oversight committees that cost of new judgeships has decreased
Judicial branch leaders told lawmakers on Monday that their priority for the legislative session — the establishment of 29 new judgeships across Colorado — has come down in cost amid broad concerns about the state’s budget deficit. Chief Justice Monica M. Márquez and State Court Administrator Steven Vasconcellos previously informed the Joint Budget Committee that the cost of…
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‘Running on empty tanks’: Chief justice addresses legislature with plea for more judges
Chief Justice Monica M. Márquez delivered her plea for more judges to the entire legislature on Friday, saying workloads are more demanding and well-meaning legislative changes have contributed to the burdens on the bench. “We cannot ask our judges, day in and day out, to make consequential decisions impacting people’s lives when they are running on…
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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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Q&A with Anne Mangiardi | New judicial discipline director shares plans for change
In July, Anne Mangiardi took over as the new executive director of the Colorado Commission on Judicial Discipline. Mangiardi, who previously worked in the Colorado Attorney General’s Office, succeeds Christopher Gregory, who the commission placed on leave early this year. The commission features a mixture of judges, lawyers and non-attorneys whose role includes investigating allegations…
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Federal, state, municipal judges exchange thoughts with lawyers on civility, other topics
Members of the federal, state and local judiciaries held a series of conversations with attorneys on Friday, with topics that included civility, treatment of self-represented litigants and differing expectations across courts. “It’s much more difficult to practice in the federal court in the sense that you have more rules to comply with,” said U.S. District…