Colorado Politics

 Colorado lawmakers grapple with spending cuts amid $1 billion-plus deficit

The battle over Colorado’s budget for next year — which stalled in the House over a procedural maneuver — entered a more difficult phase on Thursday, when legislators grappled with hundreds of millions of dollars in proposed reductions to balance...

 New rules for private judges in Colorado include discipline oversight, campaign contributions

The Colorado Supreme Court recently determined the state’s private judges — retired jurists appointed to oversee civil cases that rarely get public scrutiny — can now make political contributions freely and without reserve, overruling a prohibition that had been in...

 Colorado bill reshaping RTD board advances

A proposal to reshape the Regional Transportation District’s leadership easily cleared a committee vote Wednesday, advancing the bill sponsors say is needed to revive a transit system still struggling to regain riders and public trust. Critics have countered that, while...

 Colorado Democrat John Hickenlooper pulls in nearly $1.4M in 1st quarter, heads into primary with $4M 

U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper’s campaign raised nearly $1.4 million in the first quarter of 2026 and plans to report more than $4 million on hand heading into Colorado’s June primary, the first-term Democrat’s campaign said Thursday. That brings Hickenlooper’s total...

 Republican Ron Hanks plans ‘grassroots’ primary challenge to US Rep. Jeff Hurd in Colorado’s 3rd CD

Colorado Republican Ron Hanks, a former state lawmaker, plans to challenge first-term U.S. Rep. Jeff Hurd in the 3rd Congressional District primary by seeking a spot on the June ballot at the GOP’s district assembly in Pueblo on Friday, Colorado...

 Five ways Mullin is already pushing DHS in a new direction

The Trump administration’s newest Cabinet secretary, Markwayne Mullin, has already begun to implement major changes across the Department of Homeland Security  Mullin replaced President Donald Trump’s first DHS secretary, Kristi Noem, and was an unexpected pick to lead the department...

 Appeals court finds Prowers County judge incorrectly analyzed firetruck collision lawsuit

Colorado’s second-highest court directed a Prowers County judge last month to take a second look at whether a firetruck operator and the county itself can be held liable for a collision with a motorist. Donald Williamson was driving through a...

 Appeals court reverses assault convictions after jury received no definition of ‘harm’

Colorado’s second-highest court reversed an Arapahoe County defendant’s assault convictions last week, concluding the trial judge neglected to define a key, ambiguous term for jurors. Police officers arrested David Cristobal Aragon at a house party for allegedly violating a restraining...

 Colorado counties cannot challenge state law restricting immigration contracts, appeals court says

Colorado’s second-highest court ruled on Thursday that counties lack standing to challenge a 2023 state law that restricts their ability to contract with the federal government or private entities for immigration detention. A three-judge Court of Appeals panel agreed with...

 Wayne Williams joins city as Colorado Springs Mayor Mobolade’s new chief of staff

Wayne Williams will be the next chief of staff for Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade, turning the two former election opponents into partners in city government. The two officially announced the hire Thursday, citing Williams’ decades of experience with city,...

 House GOP stalls Colorado budget debate by forcing full reading of 661-page bill

A procedural battle at the Colorado Capitol boiled over on Wednesday night, when a House Republican demanded the 661‑page state budget be read aloud in full — a move that delayed the advance of the proposed $46.8 billion spending plan....

 Colorado lawmakers propose changes to family court procedures | Bills in Brief

Colorado lawmakers introduce hundreds of bills each year. Bills in brief cuts through the noise by explaining which proposals matter, what’s at stake, and how decisions at the Capitol could affect everyday life across the state. Colorado lawmakers from both parties are...

 Denver Water approves drought pricing, will apply to May usage

While this summer may be a hot one, it will most definitely be a more expensive one for some Denver Water customers. The Denver Board of Water Commissioners on Wednesday approved temporary drought pricing on outdoor water use as part...

 Federal judge partially allows second World Cup trafficking lawsuit to move forward

A federal judge allowed some claims to move forward last month against companies operating out of Colorado that allegedly participated in a human trafficking venture involving Filipino laborers who constructed facilities for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. There are...

 Officials, residents respond to Lakewood rezoning special election results

Nearly 17,000 residents fought back against Lakewood zoning changes on Tuesday, reversing the ordinances put in place that sought to allow for more housing density. The City of Lakewood’s special election regarding the zoning code changes put in place in...

 Melania Trump hails first conviction under new law banning AI-generated child sex abuse images

First lady Melania Trump highlighted on Tuesday the first arrest tied to a law she championed targeting cyberstalking, threats of violence, and non-consensual explicit content generated using artificial intelligence. James Strahler II, 37, of Columbus, Ohio, pleaded guilty Tuesday to...

 Federal judge dismisses lawsuit seeking to force Colorado secretary of state to screen out scam filings

A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit last week that sought to require Colorado’s secretary of state to verify corporate filings in the state’s database to reduce the risk of future fraud. Bernard Butts of Florida, who was 83 when he...

 Colorado Democrats eye new fee on home insurance companies

Colorado Democrats are reviving a proposal to levy a new fee on home insurance companies, with the aim of distributing grants to fund “resilient” roofing. Introduced by Sen. Kyle Mullica, D-Thornton, Senate Bill 155 creates a government “enterprise,” which would...

 Poll: Colorado voters oppose legalizing prostitution, support suspending wolf reintroduction

A majority of Colorado residents — 61% — oppose legalizing prostitution in the state, an idea that lawmakers floated earlier in the legislative session before pulling their proposal. Just over half of Democratic respondents said they would support legalization, while...

 Federal judge finds no constitutional violation by Huerfano County well inspectors

A federal judge concluded last month that two Huerfano County employees did not engage in an unconstitutional search when they approached the plaintiffs’ camper within 40 feet to investigate a potential code violation. In July 2021, the county’s building inspector,...

 Colorado House opens debate on $46.8B budget already showing strain

With rising Medicaid costs, no dollars set aside for new legislation and dozens of bills still seeking funding, Colorado lawmakers on Wednesday began debating the proposed $46.8 billion budget that is already proving difficult to keep on track. By the...

 Colorado House Democrats focus on prison costs in budget discussions

Colorado’s House Democrats pressed budget writers Tuesday over a nearly $70 million increase for the Department of Corrections, questioning why the state plans to add 941 prison beds and explore new prison capacity at a time when, they said, crime...

 CDOT begins installing 66 new state-owned highway cameras

The Colorado Department of Transportation started construction on a project to install 66 new traffic cameras across the state, many of them in remote mountain areas where real-time highway views help drivers navigate changing conditions. Work began March 30 at...

 Federal judge warns of increasingly inadequate immigration bond hearings

A federal judge ordered the immediate release of a man in immigration custody last week and, seemingly for the first time in Colorado, warned that the government is increasingly conducting inadequate bond hearings for detainees. Colorado’s federal trial court is facing...

 Inside the GOP caucus: Colorado legislator explains why a bigger budget still means cuts

Tasked with explaining a budget driven by rising caseloads, shifting federal dollars and a $1.5 billion shortfall, Joint Budget Committee member Rep. Rick Taggart spent Tuesday’s Republican caucus meeting detailing why the 2026–27 spending plan appears larger on paper, even...

 10th Circuit upholds dismissal of Barry Morphew’s civil lawsuit against prosecutors, investigators

The Denver-based federal appeals court agreed on Monday that Barry Morphew, who now stands accused for a second time of murdering his wife, failed to state viable claims against the government officials involved in his first, unsuccessful prosecution. Morphew was...

 Johnson won’t reopen DHS until Thune makes good on megabill promise

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is unlikely to move legislation ending a partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security until Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) kickstarts the party-line budget reconciliation process to pass another megabill. A source familiar told...

 Trump’s mail-in ballot executive order reveals why DOJ is pushing for state voter data

President Donald Trump’s new executive order on mail-in voting is offering the clearest explanation yet for why the Justice Department has spent months aggressively seeking access to state voter rolls, while also triggering a sweeping legal challenge from Democrat-led states....

 Trump quietly drops steel and aluminum tariffs for bikes, e-bikes, and frames

EXCLUSIVE — The Trump administration has quietly backed off from President Donald Trump’s threat to impose 50% steel and aluminum tariffs on imported bicycles, e-bikes, and bicycle frames. In August 2025, the administration added e-bikes to the list of products covered...

 Trump warns Iran’s ‘whole civilization will die tonight’ unless deal is struck with US

President Donald Trump issued a bleak warning ahead of his Tuesday night deadline for Iran to reach a peace deal with the United States, saying “a whole civilization will die” unless Iranian leadership yields. “A whole civilization will die tonight,...