criminal justice system
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Dougherty makes primary ballot by petition, will face Foote in Boulder DA race
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Democrat Michael Dougherty, the Boulder County district attorney, will be on the primary ballot for the seat after turning in a sufficient number of petition signatures, state officials said Wednesday. Dougherty will face off in the June primary against state Rep. Mike Foote, D-Louisville, who won top line in the primary at the Boulder Democrats’…
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Despite Supreme Court ruling, only one Colorado juvenile has been freed
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In light of Supreme Court decisions banning life without parole for juvenile offenders, dozens of Colorado prisoners who committed crimes as minors could be eligible for release, but only one has been freed. It’s been more than a year since the U.S. Supreme Court made retroactive its 2012 ban on such sentences. Many states are…
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Nicolais: Death sentence gone awry
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Every law school student loves to argue. Most see reflections of Gregory Peck or Spencer Tracy in their mirrors. And, in my law school experience, nothing brought about an argument as fast and as fierce as the death penalty. Stakes cannot be greater or an outcome more final. I even remember former Illinois Gov. George…
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Nicolais: Colorado bail reform leading the way
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Years ago I defended a pro bono client against battery and disorderly conduct charges. He worked a blue-collar construction job, tried hard to take care of his children, and had a lengthy, but distant criminal record. When we went in for his arraignment, the prosecutor offered to drop the battery charge in exchange for a…
