colorado judicial department
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Justice Melissa Hart on unexplained ‘leave of absence’ from Colorado Supreme Court
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Justice Melissa Hart is on a leave of absence from the Colorado Supreme Court — with no end date and no general explanation why. A spokesperson for the Colorado Judicial Department confirmed to Colorado Politics that Hart has been on a “temporary personal leave of absence” since Oct. 28. “We are waiting for information from…
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Critics decry ‘black hole’ of oversight for code violations by appointed judges
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Colorado’s method of investigating and disciplining judges for alleged violations of its code of conduct doesn’t apply to retired jurists specially appointed to handle individual cases. Similarly, the state’s investigative arm that looks into allegations of attorney misconduct also has no jurisdiction over issues involving private judges, as they are known, outside of the same…
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Colorado House Judiciary Committee advances bill to add 15 judges
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Colorado’s House Judiciary Committee advanced a bill to establish 15 new judgeships throughout the state by a vote of 9-2 on Tuesday. Senate Bill 24 is the Judicial Department’s top priority this year. As originally proposed, it would have added 26 judge seats in the trial courts and three seats on the Court of Appeals. The numbers…
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Judicial discipline proposal draws Colorado lawmaker skepticism
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During a legislative oversight hearing on Friday, judicial leaders revealed that a man who broke into the Ralph L. Carr Colorado Judicial Center earlier this month caused $35 million in damage, resulting in several offices being off-limits for months to come. Chief Justice Brian D. Boatright told members of the House and Senate judiciary committees…
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Colorado discipline commission accuses legal system’s discipline chief of illegal intimidation
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The enforcer who oversees Colorado’s legal profession – the Attorney Regulation Counsel – last month told a member of the state’s judicial discipline commission that his law license and that of others on the panel could be in jeopardy for having allegedly made false statements to legislators about its cooperation problems with that office. In a letter…
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Judicial department to legislators: Discipline commission ‘inaccurate’
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The commission that investigates and disciplines Colorado judges was “inaccurate” several times last month when characterizing to legislators difficulties it was having with the judicial department, according to a letter the department sent Monday to lawmakers. In a 10-page letter to the legislature’s interim committee studying potential changes to how judicial discipline happens, State Court…
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Christopher Baumann named chief judge of Denver District Court
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Colorado Supreme Court Chief Justice Brian D. Boatright has appointed District Judge Christopher J. Baumann as chief judge of the Denver District Court. Baumann will become chief judge in September following the retirement of the Honorable Michael A. Martinez, who has served as chief judge since 2013, according to a news release from the Colorado…
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IN RESPONSE | Bill’s demise was a blessing; mental illness isn’t cured in jail
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Contrary to a recent op-ed authored by state state Sen. Kent Lambert, R-Colorado Springs, the failure of a bill last session to allow excessive time frames to detain people with mental illness in jails was welcomed by numerous groups who have fought for years on behalf of this vulnerable population. This is because the bill…
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Some first aid is on the way for Colorado’s opioid crisis
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In places across Colorado that have been hit hard by the opioid crisis there are few resources, especially for those who’ve served in the military and find themselves with a substance-abuse problem. This week the state learned it’ll get nearly $400,000 for veteran drug courts. The Department of Justice grant is being awarded to the…
