Author: Michael Karlik
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Supreme Court finalists selected, federal judges slash backlogs | COURT CRAWL
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Welcome to Court Crawl, Colorado Politics’ roundup of news from the third branch of government. Coloradans learned who the three finalists are for a state Supreme Court vacancy, and new data show that Colorado’s federal trial judges reduced their backlog of motions in civil cases. Supreme Court vacancy • With the unexpected departure of Justice Melissa…
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Federal judge blasts government for violating court order, confiscating man’s property
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A federal judge gave the government three hours on Friday to return the property of a man released from immigration detention, which it allegedly retained in violation of her previous order. “At its most benign, this failure is an unforced error of preventable dimension. At its worst, this is unjustifiable intransigence, where retention of Petitioner’s…
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DA’s withdrawal from veterans treatment court not judge’s problem, ethics panel says
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There are no ethical concerns from a judge continuing to participate in a specialty veterans treatment court if the district attorney’s office has withdrawn from the program, the Colorado Supreme Court’s ethics committee advised on Wednesday. Colorado law permits chief judges of judicial districts to establish an “appropriate program for the treatment of veterans and…
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Divided appeals court orders insurance company to pay $35,600 for delayed disclosure of policy
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Colorado’s second-highest court concluded on Thursday that an insurance company violated state law when it refused to disclose an automobile policy to an injured motorist for nearly one year after she requested it. By 2-1, a three-judge Court of Appeals panel held that Esurance Property & Casualty Insurance Company had an obligation to hand over…
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Who are the 3 finalists for the Colorado Supreme Court?
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A citizen-led nominating commission has chosen the finalists for a vacancy on the Colorado Supreme Court, the first opening in five years on the seven-member court. The vacancy arose after the unexpected resignation of Justice Melissa Hart, who formally departed on Jan. 5 following an extended “leave of absence” since the fall. The three finalists…
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Christopher Zenisek, trial judge experienced with high-profile cases | SUPREME COURT FINALISTS
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After the Marshall fire burned through Boulder County in the final days of 2021 and wound up destroying more than 1,000 homes, the sprawling 4,000-plaintiff litigation was assigned to District Court Judge Christopher Zenisek of Jefferson County. Zenisek would go on to issue more than 100 orders, hold dozens of hearings and, ultimately, much of…
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Andrea Wang, water and energy expert | SUPREME COURT FINALISTS
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When the late Chief Justice Mary Mullarkey authored a 2002 opinion in the complex and long-running Taylor Ranch case involving landowners’ claims to access a 77,000-acre tract in the San Luis Valley, she worked with her law clerk, Andrea S. Wang. “She’s just a very thoughtful person, and her writing style is good. I found…
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Susan Blanco, innovator in the judiciary | SUPREME COURT FINALISTS
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Less than 24 hours after her selection as a finalist for a Colorado Supreme Court vacancy, Chief Judge Susan Blanco was back on the bench in Fort Collins, moving methodically through the variety of complications she encountered. “Your goatee might grow to your belly button by then,” she quipped to a defendant awaiting the delayed…
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Colorado’s federal judges slash motions backlog to lowest in years
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Colorado’s federal trial judges collectively had 37 motions in civil cases that had been sitting on their dockets for at least six months without a ruling, as of Sept. 30. That is the smallest backlog the state’s U.S. District Court has experienced since September 2017, before many of the current judges were even on the…
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Colorado Supreme Court to review child custody decision
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The Colorado Supreme Court announced on Monday that it will review whether the state’s second-highest court described the correct framework for deciding whether to terminate a parent’s legal rights over a child. At least three of the court’s seven members must agree to hear a case on appeal. Currently, there is one vacancy that will…
