judge patrick murphy
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Colorado Supreme Court reverses 2 Chaffee County judges for imposing fee on habeas petitioner
The Colorado Supreme Court rejected two separate appeals earlier this month from an incarcerated defendant seeking immediate release from prison, but concluded that two Chaffee County judges incorrectly required him to prepay filing fees for his cases. David J. Gottorff is serving a prison sentence following his 2023 convictions in Ouray County. Although his challenge…
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Appeals court recognizes weekend, holiday rule applies to judicial review deadline
Colorado’s second-highest court clarified for the first time last week that the rule extending deadlines in civil cases when the final day falls on a weekend or holiday also applies to litigants seeking review of governmental decisions. Nicholas A. Rigato was incarcerated at Fremont Correctional Facility when prison officials found him guilty of three conduct…
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Ex-Adams County judge resigned after retaliation campaign against employee, improper relationship
Robert W. Kiesnowski Jr. resigned from his position as an Adams County district judge this summer following his admission to a campaign of retaliation against an employee and a failure to comply with the judiciary’s rules on personal relationships, according to documents filed with the Colorado Supreme Court. Kiesnowski joined the 17th Judicial District bench…
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Appeals court orders prison riot charges reinstated against Fremont County inmate
Colorado’s second-highest court on Thursday concluded a trial judge and a magistrate in Fremont County both mistakenly dismissed prison rioting charges against an incarcerated man when they should have found probable cause existed to proceed to trial. During a preliminary hearing in the case of Dreion M. Dearing, where the prosecution needed to demonstrate probable…