don quick
-
Appeals court reluctantly agrees dismissal of Hispanic juror not a constitutional violation
Despite its deep skepticism that Adams County prosecutors removed a Hispanic juror from a Hispanic defendant’s trial for reasons other than race, Colorado’s second-highest court on Thursday nevertheless found the prosecution’s conduct did not amount to a violation of the constitutional prohibition on race-based dismissals. A three-judge panel for the Court of Appeals emphasized the…
-
Appeals court reverses another Adams County conviction for judge’s faulty analogy
The state’s Court of Appeals has reversed another criminal conviction in Adams County because the trial judge attempted to illustrate the concept of reasonable doubt to jurors in a manner the Colorado Supreme Court has since deemed problematic. Jurors convicted Brett Thomas Little in 2019 on one count of criminal mischief after he allegedly broke…
-
Adams County conviction overturned after judge’s borrowed jury instruction deemed problematic
An Adams County judge provided a confusing instruction to jurors in a murder trial that failed to properly explain all of the nuances of self-defense, the state’s second-highest court ruled last month in reversing the defendant’s conviction. District Court Chief Judge Don Quick presided over Jorge Garcia’s 2018 trial, where the only question was whether…
-
Another criminal conviction reversed in Adams County due to judge’s improper comments
For the fourth time in six months, a criminal conviction has been overturned because an Adams County judge erroneously explained the concept of reasonable doubt to jurors in a manner that lowered the prosecution’s burden of proof. Last week, the state’s Court of Appeals ordered a new trial for Joshua W. Moore because of comments…