Colorado Politics

 Colorado House finishes work on 2026-27 state budget, finally

The House on Saturday, after four days of work – it usually takes two – finished up their work and voted on the $46.8 billion 2026-27 state budget, as contained in House Bill 1410 and 64 accompanying measures designed to...

 Home rule has protected Colorado cities for over 125 years  | Cronin and Loevy

Colorado is currently gripped by a political struggle between the governor plus the legislature in Denver and populous home-rule city governments, mainly on the Front Range, such as Colorado Springs.  In the past few years, the legislature has been passing bills that applied to city government policies, which...

 Colorado Politics calendar Apr. 13-19

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,...

 Minority Leader Peña argues against oil and gas bill | A LOOK BACK

Forty-Five Years Ago This Week: “The Colorado House of Representatives had just given its final approval to  House Bill 81-1152, which created $9 million in tax relief to oil and gas companies. But this came “at the expense of local...

 A longshot, upset bid and a few quick takes | SONDERMANN

It is hard to keep up these days. The flow of news often seems overwhelming. Let’s focus today on an unusual congressional race before moving on to a few quick, supplementary observations. Since its creation 54 years ago, Congressional District...

 An “-“ends tribute in a week full of “odds” | Capitol M | Week of April 11, 2026

The lighter side of the Capitol, usually… The decision to read the budget bill — the long bill, which spans 661 pages this year — put a damper on the House’s already less‑than‑festive mood. So Capitol M decided to catch...

 What you need to know about the Colorado legislature reading a 661-page bill aloud

A rarely used procedural move by a Republican legislator threw the Colorado House into an extended slowdown, after she invoked her right to have a nearly 700-page state budget bill read aloud in full. Once Rep. Brandi Bradley, R‑Roxborough Park,...

 Literal reading of budget bill complicates Colorado legislators’ plans for GOP assembly

Republican Rep. Brandi Bradley’s decision to force the full reading of the state budget — called the “long bill” for its obvious length — has not only slowed House business to a crawl but also disrupted her colleagues’ plans for...

 10th Circuit provides guidance on police searches of cloud-based data

The Denver-based federal appeals court provided guidance to law enforcement agencies on Monday for ensuring that searches of cloud-based accounts comply with the Fourth Amendment’s requirements. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit noted...

 Inflation jumped to 3.3% in March as Iran war drove up oil prices

Inflation spiked in March, rising nine-tenths of a percentage point to 3.3% on the year, as towering energy prices drove up the headline number. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the update to the consumer price index on Friday. The...

 Colorado GOP votes down bid to ask court to prevent unaffiliated voters from voting in June primary

Members of the Colorado Republican Party’s executive committee rejected a proposal Thursday night to seek an emergency injunction in federal court to prevent unaffiliated voters from participating in the state’s upcoming June primary election. The proposed motion, backed by Colorado...

 Federal judge releases man after 2 immigration judges disobey order

A federal judge released a man from immigration detention on Thursday after two different immigration judges disobeyed his order in the same case. “At this point, the Court has granted Respondents two bites at the apple to prove detention of...

 City of Northglenn, state fail to reach agreement on mental health facility amid safety concerns

The City of Northglenn said it was unable to reach an agreement with the state on a pair of transitional living facilities for individuals with mental health conditions run by the Colorado Department of Human Services. The facilities, located across...

 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...