court of appeals
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Appeals court reverses Fremont County judge’s sanction on DA’s office over evidence misunderstanding
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Colorado’s second-highest court ruled on Thursday that a Fremont County judge was wrong to reduce the severity of a criminal charge because she believed the district attorney’s office failed to turn over police reports that, in reality, did not exist. Prosecutors charged Derek Eugene Ruppel in early 2025 with one felony and one misdemeanor count…
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Appeals court says claims cannot be based on increased risk of future health problems
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Colorado’s second-highest court concluded last week that state law does not recognize a plaintiff’s claim that a defendant’s actions increased their risk of illness in the future. A three-judge Court of Appeals panel acknowledged that courts in some states have sided with plaintiffs’ arguments that the need to spend money on medically monitoring their exposure…
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Appeals court rules Denver officer, city may be sued for collision with scooter
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Colorado’s second-highest court concluded last month that a Denver police officer and the city itself were not immune from the negligence lawsuit of a scooter rider injured after the officer ran a red light. Jordon Reynolds was riding a scooter on N. Holly Street late one night in October 2023 just as Officer Emmett Hurd…
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Appeals court orders new trial after Denver judge wrongly let defendant represent self
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A Denver judge incorrectly found that a defendant understood what he was doing by giving up his constitutional right to counsel, Colorado’s second-highest court concluded on Thursday in overturning the man’s assault convictions. Criminal defendants are allowed to represent themselves at trial by waiving their right to counsel. However, such a waiver must be “voluntary,…
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Appeals court reverses murder conviction after Denver judge violated public trial right
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Colorado’s second-highest court reversed a defendant’s murder conviction on Thursday because a Denver judge violated his constitutional right to a public trial. Due to an unusually large jury pool at Edward R. Sandoval’s 2022 trial, Chief Judge Christopher J. Baumann did not allow observers to be present in his courtroom during jury selection. Although the…
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Appeals judge asks Colorado Supreme Court to clarify process for returning seized property to defendants
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A member of Colorado’s second-highest court asked the state Supreme Court on Thursday to address the consequences of its 2022 decision outlining how convicted defendants are supposed to seek the return of property seized by law enforcement. In Woo v. El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, the justices concluded that defendants cannot bring a separate civil…
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Judges speak about public trust and criticism, ICE’s warrantless arrests under scrutiny | COURT CRAWL
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Welcome to Court Crawl, Colorado Politics’ roundup of news from the third branch of government. A handful of federal and state judges spoke last week about trust and communications challenges with the public, plus a federal judge seemed to believe immigration authorities are making warrantless arrests in violation of the law. ‘Put our heads down’…
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Colorado justices, appeals judges speak of need to keep heads down amid political attacks
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Two members of the Colorado Supreme Court and three Court of Appeals judges discussed their obligation on Tuesday to refrain from pushing back overtly on political attacks or misrepresentations of their work. Chief Justice Monica M. Márquez also disclosed certain strategies the judicial branch is employing to counter tangible threats to judges’ security. “My concern is…
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Colorado Supreme Court weighs whether lifetime sex offender registration amounts to ‘punishment’
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Members of the Colorado Supreme Court appeared wary last week of deeming lifetime sex offender registration “punishment,” even as they heard about the inescapable consequences for a person’s liberty and privacy. Under Colorado law, “sexually violent predators” are subject to lifetime sex offender registration. To qualify, they must be 18 years or older, convicted of certain offenses,…
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Colorado justices ponder whether rental car companies are also ‘insurers’
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The Colorado Supreme Court considered last week whether car rental companies that offer insurance policies can also be deemed “insurers” who may be sued for their failure to pay out benefits on claims. Hertz Corp. argued it was not an insurance company based on a sequence of events in the 1990s. The Supreme Court ruled…
