judicial department
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Judicial fees, furniture under scrutiny as Colorado lawmakers consider budget request
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Members of the legislature’s Joint Budget Committee expressed concerns last week about aspects of the judiciary’s requested $845 million budget for courts and probation, while also hearing about the Judicial Department’s relatively restrained spending over time. “If you adjust for inflation, spending has actually gone down” for the trial courts, said staff analyst Amanda Bickel.…
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Critics decry ‘black hole’ of oversight for code violations by appointed judges
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Colorado’s method of investigating and disciplining judges for alleged violations of its code of conduct doesn’t apply to retired jurists specially appointed to handle individual cases. Similarly, the state’s investigative arm that looks into allegations of attorney misconduct also has no jurisdiction over issues involving private judges, as they are known, outside of the same…
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Bill to add 15 judges heads to Colorado governor’s desk
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Legislation to add 15 new judgeships in trial courts across the state is headed to the governor’s desk for signature, as Colorado’s House of Representatives approved the bill on Thursday with no votes in opposition. Senate Bill 24 is the Judicial Department’s top legislative priority, and was originally intended to add 29 new judgeships over…
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Colorado Senate committee advances bill to create 29 judgeships, with lawmaker support delicate
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The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced a bill to establish 29 new Colorado judgeships by a vote of 6-1 on Wednesday, with supporters and opponents both cautioning that their positions could change based on the availability of money. The committee heard testimony from numerous witnesses in support of the bill, including from sitting judges. Chief Justice…
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Judicial Department paid $155,000 in settlements from 2 judges’ misconduct
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The Judicial Department paid more than $155,000 to former employees and their attorneys in connection with the misconduct of two trial judges who the Colorado Supreme Court publicly disciplined in 2024. Last May, the Supreme Court censured former Arapahoe County District Court Judge John E. Scipione for failing to disclose an intimate relationship with a staff…
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Justice Melissa Hart tells Fountain Valley School graduates public service ‘is an attitude’
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Justice Melissa Hart spoke about the value of public service and about her own recent work developing the state judiciary’s vision statement at a commencement ceremony in Colorado Springs on Saturday. “Ask yourself each day, ‘Did I stand up for someone less fortunate than myself? Take a risk for a good cause? Did I speak…
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More than a half dozen Colorado judges still haven’t filed financial disclosure
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Colorado Watch logo-new (copy) More than a half dozen Colorado judges are still delinquent in updating missing personal financial disclosure statements with state officials, despite a Denver Gazette investigation that flagged them about the problem two weeks ago. There were 15 judges delinquent as of Thursday – one of them on the Appellate Court bench – but the…
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Colorado judicial diversity leader Sumi Lee departs for governor’s office
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Sumi Lee, the first person in Colorado – and potentially the nation – to lead judicial diversification efforts from within the judiciary itself, has resigned from her job to join the administration of Gov. Jared Polis. “I had a good experience working at Judicial, and I believe the Judicial Diversity Outreach program will continue to grow…
