first amendment
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Federal judge dismisses lawsuit against Olympic SafeSport over misconduct-related restrictions
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A federal judge last month dismissed a lawsuit against the Colorado-based U.S. Center for SafeSport, brought by a Florida businessman who disputed the center’s ability to impose misconduct-related restrictions on him. Derek Strine owns an equestrian event facility that is used for developing horses into Olympic competitors. He is a member of the U.S. Equestrian…
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Federal judge finds fire chief violated due process rights of ex-employee in Boulder-Weld district
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A federal judge concluded last week that the chief of a fire protection district spanning Boulder and Weld counties violated the constitutional rights of an employee by terminating him through a process that lacked sufficient procedural protections. However, U.S. District Court Chief Judge Philip A. Brimmer also determined plaintiff Benjamin Carter could not prevail on…
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Federal judge advances religious freedom claims of incarcerated amputee
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A federal judge concluded last month that a Muslim man serving a life sentence at Colorado’s “supermax” prison may proceed with his claims that the government is violating his right to religious exercise by failing to install a water stream he can use to clean himself before praying. Mostafa Kamel Mostafa, also known as Abu…
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A brief overview of Chiles v. Salazar, Colorado’s ‘conversion therapy’ ban at SCOTUS
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On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Chiles v. Salazar, a case that challenges Colorado’s prohibition on licensed health professionals providing “conversion therapy” to LGBTQ children. Here are the basic points to know: What is conversion therapy? As defined in a 2019 Colorado law, it’s a practice or treatment by a…
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‘A model example’: 10th Circuit OK’s Colorado’s non-discrimination requirement for universal pre-K
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The Denver-based federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday that Colorado’s universal pre-kindergarten program does not violate the rights of religious preschool operators by requiring participating organizations to refrain from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, among other characteristics. Two Catholic institutions, St. Mary Catholic Parish in Littleton and St. Bernadette Catholic Parish in…
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Federal judge sides with Denver in Lisa Calderón’s retaliation lawsuit
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A federal judge last week concluded a critic of then-Denver Mayor Michael Hancock had not shown that the termination of her city contract amounted to retaliation for her speech. Lisa Calderón was a mayoral candidate and, for a time, the executive director of the Community Reentry Program. The initiative, designed to provide services for people…
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Federal judge dismisses challenge to prison policy forbidding assistance with certain legal claims
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A federal judge on Friday dismissed a formerly incarcerated man’s challenge to Colorado’s prison policy that forbids the use of library resources for the pursuit of certain claims generally deemed frivolous. Robert Wayne Robinson sued the law librarian at the Buena Vista Correctional Facility and the former director of the Colorado Department of Corrections. He…
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10th Circuit hears Denver, officer’s request to overturn $14M jury verdict after 2020 protests
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Members of the Colorado-based federal appeals court considered on Wednesday whether a judge committed errors in the 2022 civil trial where jurors found Denver liable for $14 million for violating the constitutional rights of protesters. In the first lawsuit of many to culminate in a jury trial, 12 plaintiffs largely succeeded in arguing Denver’s own…
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10th Circuit reinstates constitutional challenge to Colorado ‘doxing’ law
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The Denver-based federal appeals court reinstated a man’s constitutional challenge on Wednesday to a law prohibiting the online dissemination of certain personal identifying information, including the details of police officers, if doing so poses an imminent safety threat. Andrew Thomas Scott is a process server who attempted to deliver a subpoena at the home of…
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Federal judge advances retaliation-related claims of Castle Rock employee
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A federal judge on Thursday largely declined to dismiss multiple retaliation-related claims from a Castle Rock employee, while cautioning that the discovery of evidence would shed light on the circumstances surrounding the town’s actions. Matthew Gasser, a senior athletics supervisor, alleged Castle Rock learned in summer 2023 that an employee may have manipulated certain receipts…