district attorney
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DA touts accomplishments from first year in office but she also faced backlash
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District Attorney Amy Padden celebrated one year in office this week by touting her accomplishments, major convictions and “increased accountability” in a news release. Padden, who was elected in 2024 and took the helm of the 18th Judicial District office in January 2025, also faced backlash — including a recall threat from an Aurora councilmember…
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DA Padden finds Aurora officer justified in fatally shooting 17-year-old
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The Aurora police officer who fatally shot an unarmed 17-year-old at a gas station in September was deemed to have used justifiable deadly force by District Attorney Amy Padden in a letter Friday. In the letter to Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain, Padden stated that she found Officer Derek Paulson “justified in using deadly physical…
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Colorado justices: El Paso County judge erred by removing prosecutor for comments about stabbing public defenders
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The Colorado Supreme Court, by a 5-1 vote, concluded on Monday that an El Paso County judge mistakenly removed a prosecutor from a murder case after he was overheard saying he hoped the defendant would stab public defenders if he were released from custody. As the prosecution and the defense litigated Rocky Wayne West’s competency…
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Federal judge dismisses claims that Boulder prosecutor ’emboldened’ false testimony
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A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed a man’s claims that a former Boulder County prosecutor “emboldened” an alleged sexual assault victim to alter her story after the original charge was dismissed for lack of probable cause. The district attorney’s office twice attempted to prosecute Pierce Spinelli for felony sexual assault, his lawsuit alleged. But both…
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Aurora councilmember’s effort to recall DA fails
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An Aurora councilmember’s effort to recall 18th Judicial District Attorney Amy Padden ended Tuesday after no signatures were filed with the Secretary of State. Councilmember Danielle Jurinsky launched a campaign to recall the local prosecutor in July after Padden offered a plea deal to a teenager who hit and killed a 24-year-old woman while driving…
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Appeals court ‘reluctantly’ sides with Jeffco DA in disapproving judge’s self-defense ruling
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Colorado’s second-highest court, by 2-1, agreed last week that a Jefferson County judge should not have let jurors consider whether a defendant acted in self-defense at a trial that resulted in his acquittal for menacing a police officer. However, members of the three-judge Court of Appeals panel criticized District Attorney Alexis King’s office for bringing…
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Judicial ethics panel says hiring state prosecutor as part-time municipal judge is OK
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The Colorado Supreme Court’s judicial ethics body determined last week that there is no problem if a municipal court wishes to hire a part-time judge who also works as a state prosecutor in the same judicial district. The Colorado Judicial Ethics Advisory Board, which consists of judges, lawyers and a non-attorney, reasoned that the prosecutor…
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‘Weird,’ ‘confusing,’ ‘disheartening’: Colorado Supreme Court under fire over racial bias proposal
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Several members of a Colorado Supreme Court advisory committee aired their frustration last week after the justices announced they had reached consensus on a proposal to combat racial discrimination in jury selection — by substantially watering down the protections built into the original draft. The Supreme Court took the unusual step of asking its Rules of…
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Colorado Senate committee advances bill to create 29 judgeships, with lawmaker support delicate
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The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced a bill to establish 29 new Colorado judgeships by a vote of 6-1 on Wednesday, with supporters and opponents both cautioning that their positions could change based on the availability of money. The committee heard testimony from numerous witnesses in support of the bill, including from sitting judges. Chief Justice…
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Colorado Supreme Court intervenes in second Weld County case after botched cell phone search
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The Colorado Supreme Court stepped in to do damage control this month in a second Weld County criminal case, following a trial judge’s failure to contain the fallout from a botched cell phone search. Marquise Shadell Daniels and Laura Tellers separately have sought the Supreme Court’s intervention after more than 120 confidential attorney-client communications fell…
