Colorado Politics

 Aurora City Council wants ICE facility to report health hazards to city

The Aurora City Council on Monday night advanced proposed changes to the city code that would require all detention facilities to report health hazards to the local government, though whether the new mandates can be enforced remains unclear. The rule...

 What didn’t pass: A look at the Colorado bills that died in the 2026 legislative session

Colorado’s legislative session ended with some imbalance: While lawmakers managed to pass about 120 bills, more than 150 others collapsed along the way, undone by political disagreements, budget pressures or simple lack of time before adjournment on May 13. The...

 Appeals court overturns convictions after judge improperly accepted facts as undisputed

Colorado’s second-highest court reversed a defendant’s convictions and 12-year prison sentence earlier this month after an El Paso County judge did not require prosecutors to prove key facts that were subject to dispute after all. Prosecutors charged Noel Lavertt King...

 Colorado Democrats launch petition to censure Gov. Jared Polis for releasing Tina Peters

Hundreds of Democrats, including party officials and current and former legislators, have signed a petition urging their party to formally censure Gov. Jared Polis over his decision to grant clemency to Tina Peters. The governor’s decision means Peters, the former...

 Moore urges Democrats to ‘move on’ from 2024, calls DNC autopsy report ‘part of the problem’

Gov. Wes Moore (D-MD) is telling Democrats to “move on” from the 2024 presidential election, chiming in that he does not care whether or not the Democratic National Committee releases the contentious autopsy of the election loss. “My point is...

 Democrat John Hickenlooper launches 1st ad in Colorado’s US Senate primary

U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper hits screens Tuesday with his reelection campaign’s first statewide ad, recounting highlights of the Colorado Democrat’s business and political career. The 30-second spot, set to air on digital and streaming platforms, lands six weeks before the...

 Aurora City Council votes to create police social media policy to bar ‘editorializing’

The Aurora City Council voted to alter social media policies for the Aurora Police Department on Monday night to bar department officials from posting mug shots and suspect names until a suspect is convicted or pleads guilty. The resolution, which...

 Trump threatens to withdraw support for Lauren Boebert over Thomas Massie dispute

President Donald Trump on Saturday threatened to withdraw his endorsement for U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, who is seeking reelection in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District, over the latter’s support for a Kentucky Republican facing a primary challenge. “Is anyone interested in...

 Jeffco murder conviction overturned due to improper evidence

Colorado’s second-highest court reversed a defendant’s convictions for murder and aggravated robbery earlier this month, finding that a Jefferson County judge allowed evidence that improperly suggested the man had “bad character” for possessing guns generally. Under the rules for criminal...

 Colorado’s proposed battery regulations target fire risks, raise enforcement, cost questions

Some worry consumers would face civil or administrative fines under the legislation Lawmakers have passed new regulations mandating sellers of lithium-powered batteries to register with the state and produce outreach plans before they can engage in business in Colorado. Under...

 Daniel Domenico nominated for 10th Circuit, state Supreme Court hears arguments | COURT CRAWL

Welcome to Court Crawl, Colorado Politics’ roundup of news from the third branch of government. Colorado’s chief federal trial judge is the choice for an upcoming vacancy on the Denver-based federal appeals court, plus the state Supreme Court heard oral...

 Supreme Court to decide if Title IX discrimination protections include employees

The Supreme Court announced Monday it will hear a case determining if employees of a federally funded school may sue for sex discrimination under Title IX, something students at those schools may already do under federal law. The high court...

 Man who asked mom to lie to parole officer can stand convicted, Colorado Supreme Court decides

Attempting to influence a public servant is a crime that can include a defendant’s use of a third party to convey false information, the Colorado Supreme Court decided on Monday. There was no dispute that Michael Thomas Hupke asked his...

 Children’s Colorado must resume care to transgender plaintiffs, state Supreme Court rules by 5-2

The Colorado Supreme Court, by a 5-2 vote, ordered Children’s Hospital Colorado on Monday to resume providing certain medical services to a group of transgender plaintiffs, which it had ceased in the face of funding threats from the federal government...

 Trump approval rating drops to 37% thanks to Iran and economic anxiety

President Donald Trump’s approval rating continues to take a hit thanks to prices rising amid the Iran war, according to new polling. More than 60% of respondents said Trump’s decision to go to war was the wrong choice, according to...

 Trump moves to drop $10 billion IRS lawsuit as DOJ weighs weaponization victims fund

President Donald Trump on Monday moved to dismiss his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS over the leak of his confidential tax returns, as the Justice Department reportedly weighs the creation of a $1.7 billion compensation fund for alleged victims...

 House approves measure aimed at better tracking veteran suicides at VA facilities

The House on Friday passed a measure that would better track veteran suicides on Department of Veterans Affairs campuses as part of a larger bill. Rep. Jason Crow, D-Aurora, sponsored the measure that would set aside $500,000 to create a...

 Trump administration cancels rule that made conservation a ‘use’ of public lands | OUT WEST ROUNDUP

MONTANA Interior cancels conservation ‘use’ rule BILLINGS — The Interior Department is canceling a rule that put conservation on equal footing with development, as President Donald Trump’s administration eases restrictions on industries and seeks to boost drilling, logging, mining and...

 Hard-fought Dem primary could put GOP’s Kirkmeyer in governor’s chair | Cronin & Loevy

Colorado state Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer has the most political and governmental experience of the many candidates running for the 2026 Republican nomination for governor of Colorado. If she wins the Republican primary, she will have a decent chance of winning...

 Colorado Cost of Living: State is now 4th most expensive in U.S., and residents feel the strain

Think of Colorado and what comes to mind? Majestic mountain views; skiing, sledding, rafting, hiking and more in the Great Outdoors; alpine forests and golden plains; ample sunshine, craft beer and breathtaking sunsets. Just to scratch the surface. But the...

 Colorado Cost of Living: Moving closer to downtown Denver

As the mid-morning sun spills through a small window in Elizabeth Nagle’s small Denver apartment, her 12-year-old dog, Freya, gnaws intently on a small toy rabbit. On her table sits a retro, portable record player and a plate of small...

 Development fees not limited to brand new construction, Colorado court rules

Colorado’s second-highest court ruled last month that local governments’ ability to impose fees on “new development” is not limited solely to construction projects that occur on empty land. Under state law, local governments that issue development permits are empowered to...

 Colorado justices consider whether fraud claims belong in corporate dispute

The Colorado Supreme Court considered on Tuesday whether it is possible for a corporate plaintiff to pursue fraud claims over conduct that could be covered by a contract or by a set of interrelated business agreements leading up to the...

 Colorado Politics Calendar May 18-24

CoPo’s weekly political calendar helps 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,...

 State legislator seeks to criminalize display of sexually explicit material to children | A LOOK BACK

by Rachael Wright Forty-Five Years Ago This Week: Legislation sponsored by Rep. Bev Scherling, R-Aurora, sought to prohibit sexually explicit material from being distributed to minors. Scherling’s House Bill 81-1310 stated that the “sale, loan, or display to persons under...

 Colorado county Republican chair arrested in sting on allegations he tried to pay for sex with a child

Hunter Rivera, the 24-year-old chairman of the Weld County Republican Party, was one of two men arrested Thursday on suspicion of trying to buy sex from Larimer County Sheriff’s Office investigators who posed as minors as part of an operation...

 Cherry Creek School Board fires former superintendent’s wife from top HR role

The Cherry Creek School Board today announced the termination of Brenda Smith, the district’s chief human resource officer. She’s the wife of former Superintendent Chris Smith, who abruptly resigned in January during his annual review. Brenda Smith’s termination marks the...

 Colorado Gov. Jared Polis grants clemency to Tina Peters, makes her eligible for release from prison

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on Friday granted clemency to Tina Peters and made the former Republican county clerk eligible for release from state prison as soon as early June, capping months of speculation that the Democratic governor would shorten a...

 Grand jury indicts 2 petition circulators in 2024 signature-forgery case

A statewide grand jury has indicted two petition circulators on allegations that they forged signatures while gathering support for a proposed constitutional amendment on the 2024 ballot. The Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser’s office said the circulators — Cherell Long...

 Gazette editor Jim Trotter inducted into the Denver Press Club Hall of Fame

The Denver Press Club on Saturday will induct Denver Gazette and The Gazette in Colorado Springs Associate Editor Jim Trotter into its Hall of Fame. “Jim Trotter is being inducted into the Denver Press Club Hall of Fame because of...