Author: David Migoya
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Judicial discipline commission wants former Supreme Court Chief Justice Coats censured for role in contract scandal
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In an unprecedented flexing of its authority, the Colorado Commission on Judicial Discipline late Tuesday requested a public censure of former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan “Ben” Coats for his role in a multi-million dollar contract that was awarded to a former employee who faced firing. It is the first discipline ever requested by…
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Colorado bill creating HOA and metro district task forces passes Senate committee
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A state Senate committee on Thursday approved a bill to set up a pair of task forces that will separately identify problems within homeowners associations and metropolitan districts and offer possible legislative fixes. In a 5-2 vote, the Senate Local Government and Housing committee moved House Bill 23-1105 to that chamber’s panel on appropriations. It…
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Senate committee passes judicial reform measures with key changes
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A state Senate committee in a red-eye midnight meeting Wednesday approved a trio of measures designed to overhaul Colorado’s method of disciplining judges, the latest move in a legislative process that ultimately would land before voters in 2024. The three measures – House Concurrent Resolution 23-1001, House Bill 23-1019 and House Bill 23-1205 – passed…
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Colorado bill barring government use of confidentiality agreements heads to House floor
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A state House committee Monday nearly unanimously approved a Senate bill that would restrict local and state governments from forcing employees to sign non-disclosure agreements when they leave their jobs. The measure, Senate Bill 23-053, needs only pass a vote of the entire House before heading back to the Senate for approval of some minor…
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Colorado’s judicial performance review misses key test of judges’ legal knowledge
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Hundreds of thousands of Colorado voters biennially are asked to decide whether district court judges where they live should remain on the bench. But the state’s 22 judicial district performance commissions that evaluate those judges – and whose reviews voters frequently rely on to make that decision – are missing a key piece of information: Whether the…
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Appellate record an objective, important measure of a judge’s performance
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The Denver Gazette interviewed several former members of judicial performance commissions across the state about the newspaper’s review of appellate court decisions. Most refused to be identified because of concerns about legal retaliation for speaking about a system that is, by law, to remain secret. Each of the 22 district commissions is made up of…
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Colorado lawmakers kill effort to stop metro district developers from buying own bonds
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A Colorado Senate committee killed a measure Tuesday that would have stopped developers from buying and profiting from metro district bonds they or their affiliates approved for sale, while serving on the districts’ board of directors. A competing measure that allows developers to buy their own financing was sent to the governor’s desk Friday. Colorado…
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Bills overhauling judicial discipline unanimously pass Colorado House panel
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Bills that propose overhauling the process for how Colorado disciplines its judges – including a constitutional referendum that voters would see in 2024 – were overwhelmingly approved by a state House committee on Wednesday. The three measures – House Concurrent Resolution 23-1001, House Bill 23-1019 and House Bill 23-1205 – each unanimously passed the House Judiciary Committee, 13-0. They are now headed…
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Colorado discipline commission accuses legal system’s discipline chief of illegal intimidation
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The enforcer who oversees Colorado’s legal profession – the Attorney Regulation Counsel – last month told a member of the state’s judicial discipline commission that his law license and that of others on the panel could be in jeopardy for having allegedly made false statements to legislators about its cooperation problems with that office. In a letter…
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House bill to prohibit Colorado metro district developers from buying own financing heads to Senate
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A bill that seeks to stop metropolitan district developers from buying municipal bonds that they or their affiliates approved for sale while serving on the community’s board of directors passed the state House on Tuesday. In a 38-24 vote that drew a Republican in favor and pulled seven Democrats from the majority, House Bill 1090…
