Colorado lawmaker drops push to create judicial district
A Colorado lawmaker has backed out of sponsoring a bill that would create a new judicial district, the state’s first in more than half a century.
The Denver Post reports Democratic state Rep. Mike Weissman had proposed splitting up the 18th Judicial District, which encompasses Arapahoe, Douglas, Lincoln and Elbert counties and contains more than 1 million people southeast of Denver.
The measure would have likely made Arapahoe County the 18th and placed the other three counties into a new 23rd Judicial District.
Weissman says it became clear to him that the change needed more analysis after he met with various government leaders last week.
He says he has not heard if any of his colleagues in the state Legislature have plans to still proceed with a bill.
With the deadline missed, Bureau of Reclamation plans to move forward on Colorado River operations
Marianne Goodland
marianne.goodland@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 13 hours ago
Feb. 14 was no Valentine for the seven states of the Colorado River, which failed to come up with an agreement by that deadline on how to manage the river beginning Oct. 1. The Department of the Interior and the...
Record snow drought in Western states raises concern for water shortages, wildfires | OUT WEST ROUNDUP
The Associated Press
the-associated-press@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 3 days ago
MONTANA Record snow drought raises concerns A record snow drought with unprecedented heat is hitting most of the American West, depleting future water supplies, making it more vulnerable to wildfires and hurting winter tourism and recreation. Scientists say snow cover...
Democrat Shannon Bird qualifies by petition for primary ballot in Colorado’s toss-up 8th CD
Ernest Luning
ernest.luning@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 1 day ago
Former state Rep. Shannon Bird has qualified for the Democratic primary ballot in Colorado’s hotly contested 8th Congressional District by submitting a sufficient number of petition signatures, state election officials said this week. The winner of the Democrats’ June 30...
Colorado Supreme Court accepts cases about reliability of gun-to-bullet matching
Michael Karlik
michael.karlik@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 1 day ago
The Colorado Supreme Court announced on Monday that it will hear two cases questioning the reliability of expert testimony that purports to identify whether a specific bullet was fired from a specific gun. At least three of the court’s seven...
State Rep. Peña outlines significant inequalities in Colorado’s school finance law | A LOOK BACK
Rachael Wright, Special to Colorado Politics
rachael.wright@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 4 days ago
Forty-Five Years Ago This Week: In a guest column published in The Colorado Statesman, House Minority Leader Rep. Federico Peña, D-Denver, wrote that his greatest disappointment with the legislative process was “the inability, or unwillingness, of the General Assembly to...
Colorado Politics Calendar Feb. 16-22
Rachael Wright, Special to Colorado Politics
rachael.wright@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 4 days ago
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,...
Michael Bennet and ‘the question’ | SONDERMANN
Eric Sondermann
eric-sondermann@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 1 day ago
The train usually runs only one way. The route goes from the state Capitol to Washington, D.C. State legislators become members of Congress; governors become senators. See Hickenlooper, John. Including our junior senator, no matter his years, a total of...
Colorado District Attorneys unveil 2026 legislative priorities | WHAT’S YOUR AGENDA?
Marissa Ventrelli
marissa.ventrelli@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 3 days ago
Welcome to What’s Your Agenda?: The Colorado Politics’ weekly publication of trade association priorities for the state’s 2026 legislative session. The Colorado District Attorneys’ Council provides training, resources, and legislative support to every prosecutor in the state. In order to...
A day in the life of the Capitol: Capitol M | Week of Feb. 14, 2026
Marianne Goodland
marianne.goodland@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 3 days ago
The lighter side of the Capitol, usually. If you were walking around the Capitol on Feb. 12, there was plenty to see and to be amused (or delighted) by. Let’s start with the high school kids from Greeley’s District 6....
Appeals court clarifies what materials judges may rely on for postconviction decisions
Michael Karlik
michael.karlik@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 5 hours ago
Colorado’s second-highest court clarified on Thursday that trial judges who are deciding whether to grant relief to convicted defendants may rely on the materials attached to, or referenced in, the parties’ arguments. In contrast to direct appeals of criminal convictions,...
PREV
PREVIOUS
TEXT | President Trump's State of the Union address
Here is the full text of President Trump’s State of the Union address as prepared for delivery and released by the White House. Madam Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, the First Lady of the United States, and my fellow Americans: We meet tonight at a moment of unlimited potential. As we begin a […]
FACT CHECK | Trump's claims in his State of Union address; Abrams' claims in her rebuttal
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump laced his State of the Union speech with puffed-up numbers and partial truths Tuesday as he hailed an “economic miracle,” warned of human traffickers flooding across the border and appeared to place Afghanistan in the Middle East instead of where it is, Asia. Trump used information selectively in claiming a […]