judicial discipline
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Judicial discipline changes moving at a slow pace
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Colorado’s judicial system is barely closer to fixing what some have called a broken process of disciplining judges a year after voters approved a new method of dealing with the issue and eight months after revelations the state fosters a private system of judges who fall outside of that oversight. The state’s Commission on Judicial…
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San Miguel County judge suspended, discipline commission harbors ‘serious concerns’ about conduct
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A San Miguel County judge who failed to respond for months to disciplinary authorities’ requests to explain himself is now facing allegations that his misconduct infected two dozen cases and forced some litigants to wait years for decisions. Documents filed in the matter of County Court Judge Sean K. Murphy also alleged several bizarre incidents,…
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Federal courts prepare for lengthy shutdown, SCOTUS to hear Colorado case | COURT CRAWL
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Welcome to Court Crawl, Colorado Politics’ roundup of news from the third branch of government. Colorado’s federal courts have announced their intentions if the lapse in congressional funding is prolonged, plus the nation’s highest court is scheduled to hear oral arguments in a First Amendment challenge out of Colorado. In federal news • Both the U.S.…
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Montezuma County judge says ‘imperfect decisions’ do not justify disciplinary authorities’ ‘overreach’
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A Montezuma County judge responded on Monday to the allegations of misconduct against him, arguing any poor decisions he may have made did not justify his removal from office and further insisting he did not lie to disciplinary officials. In early September, the Colorado Commission on Judicial Discipline accused County Court Judge Ian J. MacLaren…
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Intervention v. punishment: Justice William Hood speaks about assistance to struggling lawyers
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A member of the Colorado Supreme Court spoke to attorneys on Thursday about the ways in which lawyers and judges have a duty to intervene when they notice their colleagues struggling to meet their professional obligations. “I tried to search back in my own memory banks. I can remember being a young lawyer and seeing…
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Montezuma County judge faces disciplinary proceedings for ‘lying,’ handling of criminal case
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Judicial discipline authorities are seeking the censure and removal of Montezuma County Court Judge Ian J. MacLaren, who allegedly committed misconduct in his handling of a criminal case, made false statements to investigators about his actions, and attempted to use his status to get favorable treatment for his own civil infraction. The Colorado Commission on…
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Colorado judicial discipline rules released for public comment
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The panel charged with enacting protocols governing the judicial discipline process has released a set of new rules for public comment. Last November, voters approved constitutional Amendment H to reform how Colorado disciplines its judges. The changes reduced the role of the state Supreme Court, enabled information-sharing about judges’ alleged misconduct to occur sooner and more widely, and…
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Discipline panel censures ex-Northeast Colorado judge for misconduct
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A three-member disciplinary panel issued a public censure on Thursday of a former trial judge from northeastern Colorado, the first such punishment handed down after voters amended the state constitution last year to reform judicial discipline. The July 18 order was notable not for the sanction it imposed on former District Court Judge Justin B. Haenlein, which…
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Northeast Colorado judge resigns, admits to misconduct
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A judge from northeastern Colorado resigned at the end of Wednesday, and, in doing so, admitted to allegations that he used his position to aid a friend in her court case and did not disclose his personal connection in other cases involving that friend. District Court Judge Justin B. Haenlein presided in the 13th Judicial…
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Colorado judicial disciplinary officials describe what changed, remained constant with 2024 amendment
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Top state officials for attorney and judicial discipline spoke on Wednesday about the ways in which a 2024 constitutional amendment changed the process for disciplining state judges, the factors that stayed constant and the question marks that remain around specific rules. In November, voters overwhelmingly enacted Amendment H, which lawmakers referred to the ballot after a…
