Colorado Politics

 Colorado Politics Calendar Sept. 7-13

CoPo’s weekly political calendar will help you find political and public-policy events throughout Colorado. It includes candidate and issue campaign events, public policy meetings, court hearings, state and local party conventions, assemblies, debates, rallies, parades, speaking engagements, traveling dignitary appearances,...

 Blue-collar support trends highlighted GOP gains among rank‑and‑file workers | A LOOK BACK

Forty-five years ago this week: Kathy Oatis of the Colorado AFL-CIO’s Committee on Political Education said that organized labor had a negative image with the American voter. “I don’t think the country is against us,” said Oatis. “I think the...

 The dissonance of an American Jew thinking about Israel | SONDERMANN

The Jewish High Holidays will soon be upon us. The third anniversary of Oct. 7 will then quickly follow. Three weeks later, Israeli voters will head to the polls to elect all 120 members of its parliament, the Knesset and...

 Parenting from prison: Inmates hope to be present in their children’s lives, while physically absent

The room was decorated with balloons, the tables sparking bright with colors as the smell of pizza and cake wafted through the air. As did music. This was, after all, a father-daughter dance. Except this was not a typical father-daughter...

 Colorado House ethics committee issues ‘stern letter’ to Democrat over caucus funds mismanagement

The Colorado House ethics committee on Friday voted unanimously to issue a “stern letter” to Rep. Mandy Lindsay, D-Aurora, regarding her mismanagement of House Democratic caucus funds. The committee further voted to request that Lindsay resign as Democratic Caucus co-chair...

 Appeals court confirms Colorado judges can compel electronic records from out of state

Colorado’s second-highest court clarified on Thursday that judges are empowered to compel out-of-state companies to produce electronic records under state law. El Paso County jurors convicted Mischa Jargowsky on three counts of money laundering and one violation of Colorado’s organized...

 Federal judge extends block on Trump executive order seeking to limit mail voting in the midterms

A federal judge on Friday extended her prohibition against the U.S. Postal Service implementing President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to limit mail voting during the midterms, putting another major obstacle in the way of the administration as the first...

 Mullin asks DOJ to review voter data sharing tied to Zuckerberg-funded nonprofit group

Washington Examiner Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin asked the Justice Department this week to review whether election-related nonprofit groups, some with multimillion-dollar backing from a Mark Zuckerberg-linked nonprofit, improperly received sensitive state motor vehicle and voter-registration data. In a letter...

 Colorado secures FEMA support for wildfire, flooding and mudslide recovery

Federal authorities on Friday approved Colorado’s request for federal public assistance to help communities devastated by the Aspen Acres and Gold Mountain Fires. The Federal Emergency Management Agency did not announce how much the state would receive but confirmed that...

 State seeks $50K penalty against GOP candidate Victor Marx over alleged campaign finance violations

Republican gubernatorial candidate Victor Marx is looking at more than $50,000 in fines in what the Elections Division of the Office of the Secretary of State calls “unprecedented” campaign finance violations. The state has not imposed that fine yet, and...

 Judge puts Colorado Libertarians’ secretary of state candidate on ballot after party’s 1st nominee drops out

A Denver judge ruled Friday that the Colorado Libertarian Party’s pick for secretary of state will appear on the November ballot after the party’s original nominee withdrew one day after the deadline to replace minor party candidates. Following a hearing...

 10th Circuit upholds finding of no racial discrimination against family at Denver Chili’s

The Denver-based federal appeals court agreed on Wednesday that a Black plaintiff failed to show that a Chili’s manager’s request for her family to provide valid payment at the outset of their meal amounted to racial discrimination. Markesha Futrell-Smith filed...

 Regulators knew this marijuana product was harming people. It stayed on shelves for more than a year

Colorado’s Marijuana Enforcement Division can take months or even years to issue formal safety warnings about marijuana products even when it receives reports that the products are harming people’s health, The Denver Gazette and ProPublica found.  This article was produced...

 Douglas County commissioners reject challenge to ballot language for 3 to 5 petition

Douglas County commissioners denied a challenge Thursday to the language of a ballot initiative that would expand the board from three to five members. Following a contentious hearing that saw multiple audience members escorted out by police for disruptions, commissioners...

 Favorability rating of Mayor Mike Johnston, Denver City Council slides

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s favorability rating fell 7 percentage points over the past year, while the City Council’s favorability rating dropped 3 percentage points, a new poll has found. A little more than a year after taking office, Johnston had...

 Appeals court reinstates Mesa County defendant’s request for DNA testing under new Colorado law

Colorado’s second-highest court revived a Mesa County defendant’s petition for DNA testing in his three-decade-old attempted murder case on Thursday, concluding that a trial judge wrongly interpreted a recent Colorado law in dismissing the request outright. Jurors convicted Billy Joe...

 Appeals court reverses Denver juvenile’s conviction due to improper expert testimony

Colorado’s second-highest court reversed a juvenile defendant’s conviction for unlawful sexual contact on Thursday after an expert witness’s testimony improperly suggested the child victim was telling the truth. The defendant, identified as S.H-S., was around 16 years old when he...

 Judge orders home confinement for Barry Morphew

An Alamosa County district judge has ordered home confinement for Barry Morphew, who is accused of murdering his wife. Barry Morphew, 59, faces a first-degree murder charge in the death of his wife, Suzanne Morphew, who disappeared Mother’s Day weekend...

 Bipartisan Colorado leaders press FEMA for disaster declaration amid widespread wildfire damage

Colorado leaders are renewing their push for federal disaster assistance after the Aspen Acres and Gold Mountain fires burned more than 140,000 acres across three counties in June and July. The state has submitted 173 letters from elected officials and...

 Appeals court says jury does not need to view porn to determine if it’s ‘obscene’

Colorado’s second-highest court ruled for the first time on Thursday that a jury does not always need to view pornographic material to determine if it meets the criteria for obscenity. Mesa County jurors found Shayla Ann Simpson guilty of child...

 Ikon Pass company Alterra to move into former Denver Post building, create downtown ‘outdoor hub’

What was once the home of two of Colorado’s longest-running daily newspapers could soon become a central location for the state’s ski resort and outdoor companies, city and state leaders said Thursday. Alterra Mountain Co. is moving its headquarters to...

 Fentanyl sentencing, tax overhauls and transgender‑related issues anchor Colorado’s 14 ballot measures

Fourteen statewide ballot measures await Colorado voters this November, offering a mix of criminal justice crackdowns, tax overhauls, and constitutional tweaks that ensure no one will accuse the ballot of being boring this year. Colorado’s 14 statewide ballot measures match...

 Colorado sues to stop Trump’s ban on Medicaid dollars paying for minors’ transgender transition

Colorado on Wednesday filed yet another lawsuit against the Trump administration — this time to stop a new rule that prohibits Medicaid dollars from paying for transgender transition services for minors. The question of transgender services has increasingly become a...

 Castle Rock Town Council passes measure expanding authority over school-designated land and funds

The Castle Rock Town Council passed an ordinance Tuesday that gives the council broader authority to repurpose land and cash designated for school facilities. Douglas County School District officials argue the move would allow the town to do so without...

 Denver plans to spend $50M on improvements to Sloan’s Lake

Denver plans to spend $50 million for Sloan’s Lake improvements. Mayor Mike Johnston and Councilmembers Amanda P. Sandoval and Jamie Torres announced the project’s launch steps from the lake’s shore near the jetty in the park on Wednesday morning. “After...

 Wildlife commissioner pushes for tougher penalties after hunter accidentally kills Colorado wolf

Colorado wildlife officials on Wednesday revisited the agency’s handling of violations involving protected species, prompting renewed debate over whether current penalties are sufficient. Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commissioner Rebecca Niemiec on Wednesday urged the agency to impose stronger penalties —...

 10th Circuit disagrees Sterling officer had no basis to arrest motorist who lacked insurance details

The Denver-based federal appeals court disagreed on Tuesday with a trial judge’s decision to bar evidence from a pat-down search from being used against a defendant. Federal prosecutors obtained an indictment of Jorge Sigala-Baray for being a felon in possession of a...

 Colorado Springs officers’ tasing, threats prompt federal judge to block use of suspect’s statements

A federal judge blocked the government last month from using some of a defendant’s statements as evidence, reasoning that the defendant made them involuntarily as Colorado Springs officers tased him five times and one officer threatened to kill him. Officers...

 Appeals court rejects CDOT employee’s discrimination, retaliation claims

Colorado’s second-highest court agreed last week that a Colorado Department of Transportation employee had not shown that his employer discriminated and retaliated against him due to his religion and national origin. Ayman Salloum, who described himself as a 70-year-old Muslim...

 Petitions seek to place noise restrictions, surveillance cameras and water limits on Colorado Springs ballot

Petitioners in Colorado Springs are preparing to gather signatures to place restrictions on noise levels, developments that use a large volume of water and surveillance cameras that use automatic tracking technology. The City Clerk’s office on Monday gave final approval...