faculty of federal advocates
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‘I have to over-prepare’: Judges, lawyers speak about effects of disability on their work
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Two judges spoke to members of Colorado’s legal community last week about the ways their disabilities have affected how they operate in the courtroom, and urged lawyers to be mindful about the duty to make accommodations in the justice system. “I had a juror recently, when asked the question ‘Do you have a disability that…
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Colorado federal judges unveil new ‘civility code,’ share stories about bad behavior
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Four members of Colorado’s U.S. District Court introduced lawyers on Tuesday to a new, nonbinding “civility code” and expressed frustration about overly belligerent behavior they are seeing more frequently from attorneys. “It feeds on itself. One lawyer in a case starts with snarky comments in the briefs or the motions, the other side may try…
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2 federal judges pitch lawyers on benefits of handing cases over to magistrate judges
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Two of Colorado’s federal district judges, speaking on Tuesday about why lawyers should consent to having magistrate judges handle more cases, said they were disturbed that barely more than a dozen attorneys showed up. “We’re concerned even about this turnout for two (district) judges speaking,” said U.S. District Court Judge Charlotte N. Sweeney at a…
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‘There’s a different weight that I feel’: Kato Crews speaks about first 6 months as federal district judge
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When President Joe Biden appointed S. Kato Crews as a federal trial judge in January, Crews was no stranger to Colorado’s U.S. District Court. He had served as a magistrate judge on the same court for more than five years. On Wednesday, Crews told an audience of attorneys at the Alfred A. Arraj U.S. Courthouse…
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Susan Prose talks about surprises, self-represented plaintiffs and settlements in first year as magistrate judge
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U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan Prose, speaking about her first year as a federal judge on Thursday, described multiple eye-opening experiences on the bench, including the revelation that some litigants are not actually seeking a speedy trial. “I’ve been surprised to see how frequently folks actually don’t want to go to trial. It’s not just defendants…
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‘A matter of survival’: Charlotte Sweeney explains judges’ attempts to stay ahead of workload at federal court
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U.S. District Court Judge Charlotte N. Sweeney told an audience of lawyers on Wednesday about the reasons judicial decisions may take a long time, what she is doing to fix that, and how Colorado’s federal trial court may respond in the future to bad behavior among some practitioners. Sweeney also disclosed that further personnel changes…
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New faces, new approach: Charlotte Sweeney talks about transformation of Colorado’s federal court
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In just two years, the Biden administration appointed four – soon to be five – judges to Colorado’s seven-member federal trial court. One of them spoke on Friday about how she and the other new members are taking a different approach to the job. “It certainly seems like we’re moving back to being out more in the…
