district attorney
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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…
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Boulder County prosecutors’ evidence insufficient for attempted murder charges, appeals court agrees
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Colorado’s second-highest court agreed last week that Boulder County prosecutors fell short of demonstrating a man likely attempted extreme indifference murder against multiple SWAT officers when he set off an explosion in his hotel room, causing window damage without any injuries. Prosecutors charged Leon Kiyoshi Gladwell with attempted extreme indifference murder. Under Colorado law, a person…
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Colorado justices, by 5-2, reverse sanction on prosecution in Ouray rape case
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The Colorado Supreme Court ruled on Monday, by 5-2, that a Ouray County judge wrongly prohibited the prosecution from using late-disclosed evidence in a hearing to determine whether probable cause existed to bring the defendant to trial. The court’s majority believed the judge’s failure to explain the basis for the sanction doomed his order. However,…
