civil rights
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Jury to decide ex-Weld County schools superintendent’s retaliation claim
A jury will decide whether Weld County School District RE-5J unlawfully retaliated against its former superintendent because she stood up against multiple incidents of racism, sexism and homophobia involving one of the district’s principals. U.S. District Court Judge Nina Y. Wang denied the district’s request to resolve the case in its favor without a trial, writing in…
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The 20-minute lifeline: Colorado’s federal court eyes a new program to aid those behind bars | COVER STORY
With nearly two dozen state prisons and multiple federal facilities in Colorado, federal judges routinely hear lawsuits from incarcerated men and women alleging violations of their rights. The claims range from excessive force and indifference to medical needs to unconstitutional infringements on prisoners’ religious exercise. For the most part, the plaintiffs do not have a…
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Federal judge to Congress: Roll back Supreme Court’s limitations on suing federal officials
In an extraordinary move, a federal judge in Colorado has called upon Congress to roll back the U.S. Supreme Court’s broad limitations on suing federal officials for constitutional violations. U.S. District Court Senior Judge William J. Martínez, in an Aug. 3 order, criticized the fact that prisoners, if they are in a federal facility, are largely…
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Federal judge sends illegal arrest lawsuit against Colorado Springs officers to trial
A jury will decide whether Colorado Springs police officers unlawfully arrested and searched a woman who, moments prior, helped resuscitate a man who had stopped breathing from a drug overdose. Colorado Springs asked U.S. District Court Senior Judge Christine M. Arguello to find its officers acted reasonably when they handcuffed and cited Sasha Cronick for…
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Federal judge refuses to dismiss ex-Weld County schools chief’s retaliation lawsuit
A federal judge has refused to dismiss the lawsuit of a former Weld County schools superintendent who alleges her school board fired her after she stood up against multiple incidents of racism, sexism and homophobia involving one of the district’s principals. Leslie Arnold led Weld County School District RE-5J from 2018 to 2021, where she…
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Federal judge says Westminster officers not liable for using Taser on man in home in front of family
Westminster police officers who hit and tased an intoxicated man in his home while his child and wife screamed for them to stop cannot be held liable for excessive force, a federal judge ruled last month. Although Jose Sariñana Gandara’s wife originally called 911 to inquire about transporting Sariñana to a detox facility, multiple officers who…
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Federal judge refuses to dismiss excessive force lawsuit against Aurora officer
A federal judge on Tuesday refused to dismiss an excessive force claim against an Aurora police officer for shooting a gun-wielding man, even though the man was not pointing his weapon at anyone and had only two seconds to react to the officer’s commands. U.S. District Court Senior Judge William J. Martínez agreed Officer Joseph…
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Federal judge allows UCCS employee to sue over alleged hostile work environment
An employee of the University of Colorado Colorado Springs will be able to pursue her civil rights claims against the institution after a federal judge on Tuesday found Whitney Porter credibly alleged that she experienced a gender-based hostile work environment and retaliation. U.S. Magistrate Judge Maritza Dominguez Braswell agreed Porter had described a pervasive amount…
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Federal judge in Colorado Springs deploys new tool for self-represented plaintiffs
The lone federal judge stationed in Colorado Springs has quietly adopted a new tool to make it easier for people representing themselves in court to understand what is happening with their case. U.S. Magistrate Judge Maritza Dominguez Braswell, who joined the bench last summer, is now adding plain English summaries at the beginning of her…
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Judge sides with CU in cancer researcher’s discrimination lawsuit
A federal judge agreed with the University of Colorado that a longtime cancer researcher failed to show he was subjected to a hostile work environment based on his race, religion or national origin, or was otherwise threatened with termination. Priya N. Werahera, an associate professor focused on prostate cancer research at the University of Colorado’s…