Today is Jan. 23, 2024, and here’s what you need to know:

Colorado Republican Leader Mike Lynch of Wellington survived a vote of “no confidence” on Monday, but the drama that unfolded in the state House might not be over yet.

The House GOP caucus held a special meeting to vote on a resolution of “no confidence” in Lynch, a Republican from Wellington.

The vote was 9-9, with one member, Rep. Stephanie Luck of Penrose, excused because she recently gave birth and is on maternity leave for the next six weeks.

That tie vote, however, could mean another attempt once Luck becomes available.

Five members of Colorado’s federal trial court have experienced far higher delays in deciding motions than their colleagues, according to recent data released by the federal judiciary.

The Civil Justice Reform Act of 1990 requires public reporting of motions pending longer than six months in civil cases assigned to each district judge and magistrate judge. For the reporting period ending Sept. 30, 2023, the majority of Colorado’s U.S. District Court judges had timely decided all or nearly all of their motions in under six months.

But once again, Judge Daniel D. Domenico topped the list, with a backlog of 103 motions awaiting a decision. For multiple reporting periods, Domenico has remained an outlier as the only judge in Colorado to hit a triple-digit backlog – and one of the few federal judges nationally whose numbers are that high.

Chief Judge Philip A. Brimmer and Senior Judges Raymond P. Moore and William J. Martínez have also joined Domenico in persistently reporting high numbers of pending motions.

Judge S. Kato Crews, who the U.S. Senate confirmed earlier this month to be a life-tenured district judge, also registered an unusually high number of undecided motions as of Sept. 30 during his previous role as a magistrate judge. Crews was one of two magistrate judges to report any motions lingering beyond six months, and the only magistrate judge to report a double-digit backlog.

The Army combat veteran who recently held the distinction of being the oldest Division I player in college football – while still in uniform – wants to represent Colorado’s 5th Congressional District.

Joshua Griffin, a Fountain Republican, joined the crowded primary last week for the El Paso County-based seat occupied by retiring Republican U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn.

“I spent two decades fighting for our country,” Griffin told Colorado Politics. “We need somebody to come in and represent the people – and only focus on the people.”

A political newcomer, the 37-year-old filed nearly a year ago to challenge state Rep. Mary Bradfield, a Colorado Springs Republican, in the GOP primary in House District 21, but said he decided to switch to a bid for the open U.S. House seat after Lamborn surprised nearly everyone earlier this month when he announced he wouldn’t seek a 10th term.

An annual count of Denver’s homeless population will include immigrants who crossed America’s southern border and ended up in the city’s shelters, potentially increasing the number by a significant amount.

The annual point-in-time count, which offers a snapshot of the country’s homeless population on a single night, is taking place across Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas and Jefferson counties from sundown to sundown between Jan. 22 and Jan. 23.

Last year’s count put the number of homeless people at more than 9,000, but a different tracking system said the figure is closer to 30,000 throughout the year, leading many to believe that the annual point of time count is limited.

Kyla Moe, deputy director of Metro Denver Homeless Initiative, said the annual count does not ask people’s immigration status.

Gov. Jared Polis is headlining a forum on affordability, safety and prosperity on Wednesday in Denver.

The forum, organized by the Colorado Business Roundtable, will take place at 11 a.m. at the Denver Art Museum.

The governor was also the main attraction at the group’s State of the State event last year.

The other panelists are Stephanie Piko, mayor of Centennial; Dave Schunk, president and CEO of Volunteers of America-Colorado; Phil Washington, CEO of the Denver International Airport; and, Kim McHugh, vice president for the Rockies Business Unit at Chevron.