Author: Dennis Maes
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So much potential — and such a tragic loss | MAES
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Dennis Maes During my 40-year legal career as an attorney and judge I was privy to numerous violent and negligent acts that often resulted in death or maiming. The victims included the most vulnerable children, including infants, and the elderly who were robbed of the opportunity to enjoy retirement after many years of hard work…
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Pueblo’s Dem party chair divides the flock | MAES
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Dennis Maes I doubt Colorado Politics columnist and former state GOP Chair Dick Wadhams and I have ever agreed on anything that involves partisan politics, but I have thoroughly enjoyed his reporting on current Colorado Republican Chair “Comrade Dave” Williams’s successful efforts to turn Colorado into the darkest shade of blue possible. It appears, however,…
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Wannabe martyr Boebert gropes her way to scandal, shame | MAES
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Dennis Maes Lauren “Groping Granny” Boebert indisputably cemented her total disdain and lack of respect for the rule of law and social norms with her despicable behavior at a recent performance of “Beetlejuice,” at the Buell Theatre in Denver. Her behavior was memorialized through video taken at the performance. GG, who pretends to represent the…
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Church wants a pass on homophobia | MAES
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Dennis Maes Archbishop Samuel Aquila, leader of the Archdiocese of Denver, and the pastors of St. Mary Catholic Church in Littleton and St. Bernadette Catholic Church in Lakewood felt compelled recently to memorialize their homophobic beliefs by filing a lawsuit against the State of Colorado. They claim their First Amendment right to religious liberty is…
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Slow burn for Colorado Supreme Court scandal | MAES
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Dennis Maes In early 2021 the Colorado Supreme Court was confronted with a “pay for silence” scandal that continues to breathe life and seriously questions the integrity, impartiality and transparency of Colorado’s highest court. The scandal, though reported in 2021, actually had its origin in 2019 when it was discovered that the Supreme Court under…
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When a sheriff won’t enforce the law | MAES
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063023-cp-web-oped-maes-1 House Bill1177 better known as the “red flag” law became the law of Colorado on January 1, 2020 and, with amendments, remains the law today. The law allows a law enforcement officer or agency to request an Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) from a judicial officer by filing a petition alleging the respondent, as…
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Pueblo’s ‘strong mayor’ predicament | MAES
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Dennis Maes So, how many politicians does it take to change a lightbulb? Twenty five – one to hold the bulb and 24 to turn the ladder. There will never be a shortage of comedians so long as politicians exist to provide material that makes us scratch our heads. Such is the situation playing out in…
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Putting the chill on criticism of the courts | MAES
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Dennis Maes One would think the scandal that rocked the Colorado Supreme Court in 2019 would eventually subside, move forward with proposed legislation to provide for a more transparent and impartial judicial discipline process, and begin to regain public confidence in the judiciary. Unfortunately, that concept was quickly extinguished by Jessica Yates, attorney regulation counsel…
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Colorado GOP just doesn’t get it | MAES
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Dennis Maes Despite losing every statewide electoral race and suffering lopsided margins in the Colorado Senate and House of Representatives, the Colorado Republican Party continues to proffer controversial fringe candidates. They do so even when they have an opportunity to conduct a thorough vetting process to select a plausible candidate from within their own ranks.…
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State Supreme Court’s polygraph hypocrisy | MAES
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Dennis Maes The reporting of the pay-for-silence scandal that rocked the Colorado Supreme Court in 2021 revealed the highest court and its administration was plagued by “dysfunction, toxic environment and (a) climate of fear” as reported by a legislator who was a member of the Interim Committee on Judicial Discipline investigating the fiasco. As a…
