The Pueblo Chieftain: Who watches the watchdog?
When the state’s voters passed a constitutional amendment creating the Colorado Independent Ethics Commission in 2006, the last thing they expected was for the ethics panel to declare itself above the Colorado Open Records Act. But that is what the commission proposes – making its operations less transparent and thus more secretive.
We join the Colorado Press Association and Colorado Broadcasters Association – staunch defenders of free and open access to public information – in urging the Independent Ethics Commission to withdraw the proposal and follow the Colorado Open Records Act.
It is ironic that an entity created by the voters as a state government watchdog would not honor the Open Records Act – of all things.
Divided appeals court finds no prosecutorial misconduct in prison assault case
Michael Karlik
michael.karlik@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 14 hours ago
Colorado’s second-highest court concluded last week that a Lincoln County prosecutor did not misstate the law to a degree that undermined a jury’s assault verdict against the defendant. During closing arguments in Phillip Archuleta’s 2023 trial, the prosecutor suggested to...
Boulder County prosecutor improperly used defendant’s silence as guilt, appeals court finds
Michael Karlik
michael.karlik@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 8 hours ago
Colorado’s second-highest court reversed a Boulder County defendant’s sexual assault conviction last week after concluding that a trial judge should have intervened to stop the prosecutor from inappropriately using the man’s constitutional right to silence to suggest he was guilty....
Trump ‘disappointed’ with Thune for inaction on filibuster and SAVE America Act
Christian Datoc, Washington Examiner
christian.datoc.washington.examiner@gazetteedit.wpenginepowered.com
Updated 13 hours ago
President Donald Trump voiced displeasure with Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) on Tuesday for refusing to eliminate the 60-vote filibuster threshold and pass the SAVE America Act. Trump was asked by the press about Thune and the voter ID...
Appeals court upholds discipline for Denver officers’ inadequate domestic violence investigation
Michael Karlik
michael.karlik@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 8 hours ago
Colorado’s second-highest court last week upheld Denver’s discipline of two officers whose investigation of a domestic violence report was brief, failed to separate the victim from her abuser, and overlooked the victim’s severe injuries. Officers Cory Stuper and Brian Finneran...
Overtime for farms, school safety, public office rules: What’s new in Colorado law
Marianne Goodland
marianne.goodland@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 11 hours ago
Gov. Jared Polis signed 25 bills into law Monday, bringing changes that will affect workers, families, schools, and local governments across Colorado. The new laws deal with a range of issues – from overtime rules for farmworkers to limits on...
First Circuit could intensify judicial divisions over Trump’s mandatory detention policy
Jack Birle, Washington Examiner
jack.birle.washington.examiner@gazetteedit.wpenginepowered.com
Updated 13 hours ago
A panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit sharply questioned the Trump administration on Monday over its mandatory detention policy for undocumented immigrants, as the problem races toward the Supreme Court amid nationwide divisions in the...
From social media trusts to 3D-gun restrictions: How Colorado’s latest laws affect residents
Marissa Ventrelli
marissa.ventrelli@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 11 hours ago
Gov. Jared Polis on Monday signed two new laws — one requiring parents to set up trusts for children who appear on social media and another banning the production of firearms using 3D‑printing technology. Under House Bill 1058, parents must create...
Democrat Jena Griswold holds wide lead in Colorado attorney general primary, her internal poll shows
Ernest Luning
ernest.luning@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 12 hours ago
Democratic attorney general candidate Jena Griswold, Colorado’s term-limited secretary of state, holds a wide lead over her three primary opponents just weeks before ballots are set to go out to voters, a new internal poll released by her campaign on...
Colorado Supreme Court rebuffs DA’s office over evidentiary appeal
Michael Karlik
michael.karlik@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 1 day ago
The Colorado Supreme Court rebuffed a district attorney’s office on Monday for immediately pursuing an appeal of a trial judge’s evidentiary decision that the court had no authority to hear. State law authorizes prosecutors to file a mid-case, or “interlocutory,”...
Crank challenger Jessica Killin named to House Democrats’ ‘Red to Blue’ program in Colorado’s 5th CD
Ernest Luning
ernest.luning@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 11 hours ago
The House Democrats’ campaign arm on Monday added Jessica Killin to its nationwide “Red to Blue” program in Colorado’s Republican-leaning 5th Congressional District, calling the first-time candidate a “top-tier” challenger in a seat the party is aiming to flip in...