Colorado Politics

 Colorado governor insists local officers can work with DEA agents amid non-cooperation law

Gov. Jared Polis on Friday insisted that local law enforcement officers in Colorado can — and should — work with federal drug enforcement authorities in going after criminal activities. An official of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency earlier said Colorado’s...

 Is a pardon for Tina Peters coming? Colorado governor confirms he is weighing options

Gov. Jared Polis on Friday strongly indicated he is considering clemency for Tina Peters, the former county clerk convicted of a security breach at her election office. When pressed about the matter, Polis didn’t offer an explicit answer, but he...

 Abortion stays legal in Wyoming as top court strikes down laws, including pill ban | OUT WEST ROUNDUP

WYOMING Court strikes down abortion bans FORT COLLINS — Abortion will remain legal in Wyoming after the state Supreme Court ruled on Jan. 6 that two laws barring the procedure, including the country’s first explicit ban on abortion pills, violate...

 Colorado oilmen may play key role in Trump’s Venezuelan oil takeover plan

When President Donald Trump summoned oil executives to the White House recently to push for major investment in Venezuela, an interesting sprinkling of smaller independent companies from Denver was invited along with the big names of American oil. One of...

 Colorado Politics Calendar Jan. 19-25

CoPo’s weekly political calendar will help you find political and public-policy events throughout Colorado. It includes candidate and issue campaign events, public policy meetings, court hearings, state and local party conventions, assemblies, debates, rallies, parades, speaking engagements, traveling dignitary appearances,...

 Elder Groff attends opening day of state legislature to cheer on son | A LOOK BACK

Twenty-Five Years Ago This Week: “There is a God,” sighed former state Sen. Regis Groff, D-Denver, as he watched the Democrats assume control of the Colorado Senate for the first time in 40 years. “Now they’re in the cubbyholes,” chuckled...

 Colorado appeals Trump’s rejection of federal disaster declarations for flooding, fires

Colorado has formally appealed the Trump administration’s decision to deny requests for federal disaster declarations tied to two wildfires and flooding last year. Gov. Jared Polis said the state asked the federal government to reconsider its denials for the Elk...

 10th Circuit oral arguments to feature trial judges for first time in 12 years

When the Denver-based federal appeals court convenes next week to hear oral arguments, six new faces will be staring down from the bench. No, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit has not added six new members. It...

 Federal judge says ICE cannot impose monitoring conditions beyond immigration judge’s order

A federal judge told U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Thursday that it cannot impose additional restrictions or monitoring conditions beyond those ordered by an immigration judge when releasing a person on bond. In November, U.S. District Court Judge Gordon...

 Colorado justices weigh constitutionality of student backpack search based on confidential tip

The Colorado Supreme Court considered on Wednesday whether a tip submitted through the state’s confidential school safety system provided a Douglas County administrator with reasonable suspicion to search a student’s backpack for drugs. A trial judge blocked evidence from the...

 The odd couple: Vance and Rubio stick together through 2028 speculation

Washington insiders keep straining to see daylight between Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, only for the two of them to maintain a united front. Vance and Rubio met together at the White House with Denmark’s...

 Democrats ready war powers blitz to exploit a Trump ‘vulnerability’

Senate Democrats believe they’ve uncovered a backdoor to limiting President Donald Trump’s military operations abroad and conducting oversight despite limited minority power and few Republicans willing to buck the administration. Democrats are prepared to force a flurry of votes on...

 Canada drops US-aligned tariffs on Chinese EVs in ‘landmark’ trade deal

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced on Friday he is dropping special tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, marking Ottawa’s latest move to deepen ties with countries it views as more “predictable” than the United States.  Under the “landmark” deal, Canada...

 Mexican president highlights ‘compelling results’ in crackdown of cartels in face of Trump threats

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Friday that efforts to crack down on Mexican cartels and slow migration north were showing “compelling results” in an effort to head off intervention talk by the Trump administration. The comments...

 Longtime Denver resident Dick Young, a retired rear admiral and pioneering civic advocate, dies at 94

Richard Edward Young, a retired rear admiral, attorney and towering figure in Colorado’s civic landscape for more than six decades, died Jan. 7. He was 94. A lifelong advocate for civil rights, fair housing, veterans and his neighborhood, Young was...

 Adams County deputy who was shot in stable condition, another man dies in hospital

An Adams County Sheriff’s Office deputy is stable — though likely still in critical condition, as he remains in the intensive care unit — while a man died after both suffered gunshot wounds from what appeared to be a shootout...

 Colorado EDC approves nearly $6 million in tax incentives for 3 companies

The Colorado Economic Development Commission approved a total of nearly $6 million in job growth tax incentives for three companies considering expansions in the state on Thursday. The largest incentive package went to an unnamed quantum company described as “Project...

 Senate Republicans kill war powers resolution — after Trump backlash

A largely symbolic measure in the Senate to invoke its war powers died Wednesday after two Republican senators withdrew their support. The war powers resolution that called on President Donald Trump to cease hostilities in or against Venezuela following the...

 Colorado governor pats himself on the back in final state address to lawmakers

Gov. Jared Polis on Thursday took an 82-minute victory lap in his eighth — and final — State of the State address. He touted his work in the areas of early childhood development, education, health care, housing and public safety,...

 PUC holds firm on ambitious 41% greenhouse gas cut for natural gas utilities

The Colorado Public Utilities Commission refused to ease a greenhouse gas reduction target for natural gas utilities, voting 2-1 to preserve a 41% cut in use by 2035 despite utility requests for a lower number and environmental groups pushing for...

 Colorado Coalition for the Homeless workers rally, citing low pay, high turnover

Dozens of Colorado Coalition for the Homeless frontline workers and members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 105 rallied Thursday outside of a downtown CCH office building on north Broadway, calling on the nonprofit to address low wages...

 Colorado academy trains next generation of wildland firefighters

Wildfire activity is on the upswing in Colorado and across the U.S., and state firefighting and incident management agencies are stepping up their efforts to keep up with the changes. “In the past, firefighters gained skills gradually over many seasons,”...

 10th Circuit rebuffs Jeffco’s attempt to expand immunity footprint

The Denver-based federal appeals court confirmed on Wednesday that it would not treat a judge’s decision to move a civil case forward as the automatic equivalent of denying immunity to governmental officials. The order from the U.S. Court of Appeals...

 Gov. Jared Polis’ final address draws mixed reaction

Gov. Jared Polis used his final State of the State address to reflect on seven years of policy changes, blending cultural references and nostalgia, and drawing sharply different reactions from people. Lawmakers both past and present — as well as...

 Colorado Supreme Court to hear cases on witness retaliation, slip-and-fall

The Colorado Supreme Court announced on Monday that it will decide whether defendants can be convicted of retaliating against a victim or witness when that person has not yet testified and is not scheduled to testify. At least three of...

 Polis delivers final state address to Colorado legislature

Gov. Jared Polis delivered his final State of the State address to the Colorado General Assembly this morning and outlined his agenda for this year’s legislative session, with a focus on housing, early childhood development, and the economy. He expectedly...

 Colorado Supreme Court struggles with rubric for significant reductions in parenting time

The Colorado Supreme Court attempted to identify on Wednesday the circumstances under which judges may reduce the number of days a parent spends with their child post-divorce without it rising to the level of a “restriction” that requires more rigorous...

 Douglas County Sheriff, DA sue Polis administration over immigration policy

Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly and District Attorney George Brauchler filed a lawsuit against Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, challenging the constitutionality of a state statute on immigration visas. Filed on Wednesday, the suit also named Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser,...

 Colorado justices wary of expanding rezoning by ballot initiative

The Colorado Supreme Court appeared wary on Wednesday of allowing rezonings of planned-unit developments to occur through a vote at the ballot box, rather than a municipality’s detailed review process that accounts for specific factors. In contrast to traditional, or...

 In Tina Peters appeal, judges telegraph some degree of reversal | ANALYSIS

Former Mesa County clerk Tina Peters seems poised to walk away from the state’s Court of Appeals with her criminal convictions largely intact, even as a three-judge appellate panel raised concerns about her sentence and one specific conviction. Peters, a...