Colorado Politics

 Democratic lawmakers target Colorado’s stalled prison population plan

Colorado’s prison population plan was designed to prevent overcrowding. Instead, eight months after it was triggered, the system remains strained and largely ineffective, prompting two Democratic lawmakers to push for changes through new legislation. According to its sponsors, Senate Bill...

 After internal strategy sessions, Colorado Senate to take up $46B budget debate

Tax Day carries added weight at the state Capitol this year, as the Senate prepares to take up the 2026‑27 budget on Wednesday following a day of preparations by both Republican and Democratic caucuses. Senators are expected to raise some...

 Douglas County approves AI system for sheriff’s investigations

Douglas County commissioners unanimously approved the purchase of an artificial intelligence system to assist the Sheriff’s Office with investigative analysis. The system is designed to help investigators process large volumes of data more efficiently and turn it into usable investigative...

 Colorado Supreme Court weighs transgender services case involving Children’s Hospital and federal threats

Some members of the Colorado Supreme Court expressed discomfort on Tuesday with having to decide whether to order Children’s Hospital Colorado to resume providing certain services to transgender children, which could trigger a “death sentence” if the federal government imposes...

 Cherry Creek School District to pay assistant superintendent $190K to retire amid leadership shakeups

Cherry Creek School District taxpayers will pay Assistant Superintendent Anthony Poole more than $190,000 to retire at the end of the school year, according to the school district’s separation agreement. Obtained under the Colorado Open Records Act, the agreement stipulates...

 Survey: Most Colorado teachers satisfied, but lack prep time

A biannual teacher satisfaction survey released today shows deep job satisfaction, even as educators struggle with inadequate time for lesson prep and professional learning. Released by the Colorado Department of Education, the 2026 Teaching and Learning Conditions Colorado found nine...

 Congress presses Colorado court about rule tied to immigration enforcement

The U.S. House Judiciary Committee is seeking information from Colorado’s court administrator regarding a new requirement that attorneys certify they will not use court data for immigration enforcement, arguing it unlawfully obstructs federal law and compels political speech tied to...

 Colorado business leaders, Gov. Jared Polis send warning as companies pack their bags

Is Colorado scaring away corporate expansions and entrepreneurs that had once made the state a magnet for high-tech business growth? That’s the assertion of a letter signed by more than 200 business and technology leaders, addressed to Gov. Jared Polis,...

 Colorado justices weigh constitutionality of unique disclosure requirement for ballot measures

Members of the Colorado Supreme Court considered on Tuesday whether a unique feature of the state’s campaign finance system categorically violates the First Amendment by requiring the disclosure of a ballot measure committee’s legal representative on advertisements. No on EE...

 Appeals court shuts down Boasberg contempt inquiry into Trump administration over El Salvador deportations

A federal appeals court on Tuesday ordered an end to U.S. District Judge James Boasberg’s criminal contempt inquiry into Trump administration officials over last year’s deportations of Venezuelans to El Salvador, delivering a second major rebuke to Boasberg and foreclosing...

 Colorado marijuana regulators pledge crackdown on intoxicating hemp

Citing potential tax avoidance, ‘serious risk to public safety,’ Marijuana Enforcement Division warns companies about swapping illegal chemically converted hemp for marijuana This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with The Denver Gazette. Colorado regulators announced...

 Polis pushes back after Trump administration again denies federal disaster aid

A dispute over federal disaster aid escalated Monday as Colorado Gov. Jared Polis faulted the Trump administration for rejecting the state’s appeals for assistance following last fall’s fires and flooding. The state initially filed for a Major Disaster Declaration for...

 There was plenty to celebrate at 2026 Theatre of Dreams Gala | NONPROFIT REGISTER 

CENTRAL CITY OPERA  Central City  News: There’s always something to celebrate at the Central City Opera’s signature fundraiser, the Theatre of Dreams Gala, and this year the agenda was packed.  For starters, guests at this April 10 dinner and entertainment extravaganza were encouraged to incorporate gold and silver in...

 Colorado justices block injured plaintiff from suing, despite alleged concealment by Manitou Springs

The Colorado Supreme Court ruled on Monday that a woman injured on a Manitou Springs sidewalk could not sue the allegedly responsible entity, the city of Colorado Springs, even though she did not learn until too late of an agreement...

 Rep. Eric Swalwell of California says he will resign after sexual misconduct allegations

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California announced Monday he will resign from Congress following sexual assault and misconduct allegations that prompted loud bipartisan calls for him to step down. The decision caps a swift political fall for...

 Denver continues to explore moving to a biennial budget

There’s continued momentum to shift the city of Denver to a biennial budget cycle, and if approved by the City Council, the measure would be sent to voters on the November 2026 ballot. The idea, first put forth in December,...

 Colorado saw job losses for the first time since pandemic

Colorado’s job market last year appears to have been dimmer than it was originally believed to have been, new state data revisions show.  The labor market wasn’t slowly growing, but rather it contracted in 2025. The state saw job losses...

 Whistleblower contacted Democrats before filing Trump complaint that led to first impeachment, records show 

Newly declassified transcripts from the Intelligence Community’s then-inspector general show that the whistleblower whose complaint triggered President Donald Trump’s first impeachment had prior contact with congressional Democrats before filing the allegation, a newly-surfaced and damning detail that was not disclosed...

 Spain pushes China to assume global leadership role

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Monday pushed China to embrace a larger role on the world stage as Europe increasingly turns to Beijing amid growing tensions with the United States.  Sanchez’s speech at Beijing’s Tsinghua University follows recent moves...

 Aurora first responders adopt program to leave Narcan with opioid overdose patients

Aurora Fire Rescue first responders will now leave Narcan with people who witness or experience opioid overdoses. The new, pilot Narcan leave-behind program is a tool to reduce fatal opioid-related overdoses “in a compassionate and non-judgmental way,” according to an...

 Divided Colorado Supreme Court opens door to experts’ views on children’s truthfulness

The Colorado Supreme Court ruled on Monday that experts may, in certain situations, tell jurors whether child witnesses exhibited signs of being coached by adults, without running afoul of the general prohibition on witnesses testifying about the truthfulness of other...

 Colorado becomes first state to ban arrests solely based on field drug test results

Colorado has become the first state in the nation to prohibit arrests based solely on colorimetric drug tests, also known as field drug tests. Last legislative session, lawmakers passed a bill establishing a working group to make recommendations regarding the use of colorimetric drug...

 State Supreme Court to hold oral arguments, federal judges find fault with bond hearings | COURT CRAWL

Welcome to Court Crawl, Colorado Politics’ roundup of news from the third branch of government. The state Supreme Court will resume hearing oral arguments tomorrow, plus some federal judges are raising the alarm about immigration judges’ handling of bond hearings....

 Colorado Senate takes up $46.8 billion budget

The battle over Colorado’s proposed $46.8 billion spending plan for next year shifted to the state Senate, which must decide whether to acquiesce to changes made by the House. The senators could also decide to adopt their own changes, which...

 JBS plant employees ratify tentative agreement

Workers at a JBS beef processing plant in Greeley ratified a tentative agreement Sunday, ending months of negotiations over a new contract. The two-year collective bargaining agreement covers nearly 3,800 workers, according to the United Food Commercial Workers Local 7...

 Douglas County seeks state Supreme Court review in open meeting case

The Douglas County Board of Commissioners intends to petition the Colorado Supreme Court to review a recent court decision that found the board had violated the Colorado Open Meeting Law. The case stems from 11 “closed, unnoticed” meetings held by...

 Bipartisan Colorado bill targeting AI chatbot risks advances

A bipartisan Colorado bill targeting risks posed by AI chatbots advanced out of committee last week with a 10-3 vote in its first hearing. House Bill 26-1263, which would establish new requirements for “conversational AI” services, cleared the House Business...

 Trump plans to move Forest Service headquarters to Utah, shutter research sites | OUT WEST ROUNDUP

UTAH Forest Service bound for Salt Lake City SALT LAKE CITY — President Donald Trump’s administration will move the U.S. Forest Service headquarters out of the nation’s capital to Salt Lake City as part of an organizational overhaul that involves...

 Republicans Scott Bottoms, Victor Marx win spots in Colorado gubernatorial primary at party assembly

Two Christian ministry leaders from Colorado Springs qualified Saturday for the Republican gubernatorial primary ballot at the Colorado GOP’s state assembly in Pueblo in a party meeting that dragged late into the night. State Rep. Scott Bottoms, an Assemblies of...

 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...