access to justice
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Colorado lawmakers hear about increased judicial discipline complaints, fallout from Missy Woods misconduct
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Members of the Colorado legislature’s judiciary committees heard about a large increase in complaints against judges and additional forensic misconduct that has come to light, during three days of oversight hearings last week. Leaders of several judicial-related agencies appeared between Jan. 20-23 to address their priorities and field questions from legislators. On behalf of the…
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Justice Hart to leave Supreme Court, new recs from Access to Justice Commission | COURT CRAWL
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Welcome to Court Crawl, Colorado Politics’ roundup of news from the third branch of government. A member of the Colorado Supreme Court unexpectedly announced her retirement from the bench, plus the state’s Access to Justice Commission has made recommendations following a renewed listening tour. Justice Hart exits • Justice Melissa Hart, a member of the Colorado…
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Colorado commission makes new access-to-justice recommendations after renewed listening tour
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Adding judges to handle caseloads. Expanding authority for paraprofessionals in civil cases. Allowing self-represented litigants to file electronically. Making the judiciary’s website user-friendly. Those were among the recommendations advanced by the Colorado Access to Justice Commission in a report released Friday, following 22 listening sessions earlier this year. The report was a follow-up to a similar…
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Colorado Supreme Court committee advances tenant-friendly rule change
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The Colorado Supreme Court’s Civil Rules Committee advanced a proposal on Friday that would make it easier for tenants facing eviction to respond to and learn about their landlord’s initial court filing. Several members of the committee were torn about the wisdom of the relatively narrow change now headed to the full court. State law…
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An obligation to use AI? Federal judge addresses lawyers on responsible technology use
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U.S. Magistrate Judge Maritza Dominguez Braswell addressed a group of Colorado attorneys on Friday with the message that they should be practicing and understanding how to use artificial intelligence because it is encroaching on more and more aspects of society. “There was a time when you had to be rich to have a cell phone,”…
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‘Serve and not to be served’: Melissa Meirink ceremonially sworn in as newest appeals judge
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When Melissa C. Meirink was young and had something to complain about, her grandmother replied, “While you’re crying out of one eye, there are people crying out of two.” “She put things in perspective for me in a way that made me really think about others. My abuelita and my mom really instilled a service-oriented…
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2 federal judges pitch lawyers on benefits of handing cases over to magistrate judges
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Two of Colorado’s federal district judges, speaking on Tuesday about why lawyers should consent to having magistrate judges handle more cases, said they were disturbed that barely more than a dozen attorneys showed up. “We’re concerned even about this turnout for two (district) judges speaking,” said U.S. District Court Judge Charlotte N. Sweeney at a…
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Judicial branch tells oversight committees that cost of new judgeships has decreased
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Judicial branch leaders told lawmakers on Monday that their priority for the legislative session — the establishment of 29 new judgeships across Colorado — has come down in cost amid broad concerns about the state’s budget deficit. Chief Justice Monica M. Márquez and State Court Administrator Steven Vasconcellos previously informed the Joint Budget Committee that the cost of…
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Report: Colorado Access to Justice Commission developing legal self-help website, addressing ‘legal deserts’
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Colorado’s Access to Justice Commission has begun creating a legal self-help portal and secured a grant to help address “legal deserts” in rural Colorado, the commission recently announced in its 2023 year-end report. The commission, which started in 2003 and advocates for removing barriers to access in the civil justice system, also scored a victory…
