Today is March 19, 2024, and here’s what you need to know:

Lauren Boebert touts Trump endorsement in first TV ad of primary election campaign

U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert hit the airwaves Monday with a TV ad touting Donald Trump’s backing in the first salvo of the Republican primary election in her new congressional district.

“Lauren, you’re going to do fantastically in your district,” says Trump in the 30-second ad, which features Trump’s recent endorsement calling Boebert a “proven conservative.”

The GOP lawmaker is seeking a return ticket to Congress next year after moving across the state from the Western Colorado seat she represents to the 4th Congressional District, which Republican U.S. Rep. Ken Buck holds. Last week, Buck announced his resignation after earlier announcing he would not seek another term.

“We need Lauren fighting for us in Washington,” the ad’s announcer says. “Stand with President Trump and vote Lauren Boebert for Congress.”

Republican congressional candidate alleges Dave Williams, Vickie Tonkins withheld delegate lists

One of the Republicans running in a primary for the seat held by retiring U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn is alleging that county and state GOP officials withheld lists of assembly delegates from some candidates, unfairly advantaging congressional candidate Dave Williams, the Colorado Republican Party chairman.

In a criminal complaint filed with District Attorney Michael Allen on Monday, first-time candidates Joshua Griffin alleged that Williams had early access last week to delegate information, while at the same time El Paso County GOP Chairwoman Vickie Tonkins was telling Griffin the delegate list wasn’t yet available.

“This lack of access hinders candidates’ ability to campaign effectively, potentially altering the outcome of the primary elections,” Griffin said in an affidavit. “It undermines the principles of transparency and fairness that are foundational to our electoral system.”

Colorado lawmakers debate proposal allowing local governments to regulate pesticides

A bill allowing local governments to regulate pesticides is headed for the House floor amid concerns from the agricultural community that it will affect the ability of farmers, ranchers and others to reduce pests that destroy crops.

House Bill 1178 is the culmination of several years of efforts by urban Democrats to give local governments the authority to regulate pests — which don’t respect city or county boundaries — and which they claim have hurt pollinators and damaged waterways.

Debate over the proposed legislation is expected to resume on the House floor Tuesday.

Currently, pesticides are regulated by the state through the Colorado Department of Agriculture, which oversees pesticide applicators.

Study: Colorado ban on oil and gas drilling will take a toll on education, destroy jobs, cut GDP

A bill introduced in the state senate to end oil and gas drilling poses a catastrophic threat to Colorado’s economy, according to researchers from the Common Sense Institute.

Senate Bill 24-159 would require the state to cease issuing new oil and gas drilling permits by 2030. The bill was set to be heard on Thursday by the Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee but was postponed because of a snowstorm. A hearing has not yet been rescheduled.

“It’s horrible on every front because it claims to be about CO2 emission reduction, which it’s not,” said CSI Energy Fellow Trisha Curtis. “It’s beyond detrimental and devastating to the economic state of Colorado and it really doesn’t appreciate the economic realities at all.”

Colorado's federal magistrate judges unveil standardized courtroom procedures for first time

Colorado’s federal magistrate judges presented their proposal for a first-ever set of joint courtroom procedures to an audience of lawyers last week, and emphasized litigants will get a speedier resolution to their case if they agree to let a magistrate judge handle it.

Several months after a group of life-tenured district judges on Colorado’s federal trial court unveiled their own joint protocols for civil cases, known as practice standards, the magistrate judges followed suit. The 22-page draft covers all aspects of courtroom operations ranging from settlement conferences and evidentiary disputes to the font sizes in motions.

“Dare I say this is a groundbreaking moment in the District of Colorado?” said Chief Magistrate Judge Michael E. Hegarty during the March 13 presentation.

Although the practice standards are procedural and do not govern how a judge will apply the law to a case, uniformity can improve litigants’ understanding of the legal process. As with the district judges’ uniform standards, the magistrate judges’ proposed draft contains carve-outs for individual judges on certain issues.

Douglas County aims to challenge Colorado's sanctuary laws amid illegal immigration surge in Denver

Douglas County’s commissioners are eyeing a legal challenge to Colorado’s “sanctuary” laws amid a surge in illegal immigration that has already cost Denver — the epicenter of the crisis — tens of millions of dollars.

They also advanced a proposed ordinance that bars commercial buses from unloading passengers “other than at a planned and scheduled documented destination,” a clear attempt to stop immigrants from arriving at the county’s doors unannounced.

In a resolution, the commissioners on Tuesday directed the county attorney to “pursue legal action to permit the county to fully cooperate with federal law enforcement.”