judge s. kato crews
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Colorado’s federal judges slash motions backlog to lowest in years
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Colorado’s federal trial judges collectively had 37 motions in civil cases that had been sitting on their dockets for at least six months without a ruling, as of Sept. 30. That is the smallest backlog the state’s U.S. District Court has experienced since September 2017, before many of the current judges were even on the…
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Federal judge warns DOJ against raising repeatedly rejected arguments in immigration detention cases
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A federal judge in Colorado warned the U.S. Department of Justice on Monday against raising arguments that she and other judges have repeatedly rejected in cases challenging the lawfulness of immigration detentions. In a Jan. 26 order finding the government is wrongfully detaining a Cuban national without a bond hearing, U.S. District Court Judge Charlotte…
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10th Circuit rebuffs Jeffco’s attempt to expand immunity footprint
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The Denver-based federal appeals court confirmed on Wednesday that it would not treat a judge’s decision to move a civil case forward as the automatic equivalent of denying immunity to governmental officials. The order from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit came one month after a trial judge deemed Jefferson County’s appeal…
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Federal judge opens new front in effort to increase magistrate judge handling of civil cases
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One of Colorado’s federal judges rang in the new year with a new effort to spread out the U.S. District Court’s civil caseload among its roster of magistrate judges. “NOTICE ENCOURAGING CONSIDERATION OF CONSENT,” Judge S. Kato Crews has written in docket entries across at least nine recently filed civil cases so far. “This district’s…
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Federal judge recommends blocking Justice Department ‘dragnet’ on Children’s Hospital Colorado
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A federal judge repeatedly criticized the government on Monday as he concluded a U.S. Department of Justice request for patient and employee information from Children’s Hospital Colorado was fueled by an “improper purpose” and should be denied. U.S. Magistrate Judge Cyrus Y. Chung determined that the government’s stated purpose of investigating possible violations of the…
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‘Lawyers haven’t gotten the message’: Colorado justices hear debate about proposed AI rule
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The Colorado Supreme Court heard comments from members of the legal profession last week about a proposed rule change intended to remind attorneys that misuse of new artificial intelligence tools can violate longstanding professional obligations. Court of Appeals Judge Lino S. Lipinsky de Orlov, who chairs the Rules of Professional Conduct Standing Committee, told the…
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‘Deep source of pride’: Federal judge speaks about first year on bench, how he spends his time
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One of Colorado’s newest federal judges spoke on Thursday about his first year on the bench, his philosophy behind facilitating case settlements and how his background as a public defender informs his current role. “Most of my career, I represented poor people or people who didn’t have enough money for an attorney,” said U.S. Magistrate…
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Federal judge deems Jeffco’s appeal ‘frivolous’ in jail death case
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A federal judge declared Jefferson County’s appeal of his evidentiary decision “frivolous” on Thursday, which enables him to continue handling the civil rights litigation even as an appellate court separately addresses the appeal. The order from U.S. District Court Judge S. Kato Crews came three days after a hearing in which the plaintiffs’ attorney warned…
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Federal judge dismisses claim against Colorado health department leaders over gas stove law
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A federal judge last week dismissed the constitutional claim against leaders of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment over a 2025 law requiring health disclosures on new gas-fueled stoves. In June, Gov. Jared Polis signed House Bill 1161 into law, which requires retailers of gas stoves to affix a “yellow adhesive label” that…
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Federal judge lifts public access restriction on Children’s Hospital Colorado’s challenge to DOJ subpoena
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A federal judge ordered last month that the public be able to access the filings in Children’s Hospital Colorado’s legal challenge to a U.S. Department of Justice subpoena seeking a broad range of documents about patients, employees and communications. Children’s Colorado sought to keep its case shielded from public view, arguing that disclosing the details…
