judicial misconduct
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Report: Complaints against judges jumped in 2023, with several stemming from Trump disqualification case
Misconduct allegations against judges jumped by more than 38% between 2022 and 2023, with almost a dozen complaints stemming from last year’s proceedings to disqualify Donald Trump from the presidential primary ballot, according to a report from the state’s judicial discipline body. The summary report from the Colorado Commission on Judicial Discipline also noted an…
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Colorado Supreme Court censures ex-Adams County judge who repeatedly committed misconduct
The Colorado Supreme Court on Monday publicly censured ex-Adams County District Court Judge Robert W. Kiesnowski Jr., who resigned last summer in the face of a misconduct investigation and yet continued to misbehave through his final weeks in office. While still a judge, Kiesnowski engaged in the unauthorized practice of law when he acted as…
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Denver’s presiding juvenile judge steps down amid misconduct investigation
The longtime presiding judge of the Denver Juvenile Court, D. Brett Woods, retired from the bench on Friday amid a misconduct investigation whose details are still unclear. “I am proud of my work in the area of juvenile justice,” Woods wrote in a Feb. 8 letter to Chief Justice Brian D. Boatright. “I will cherish…
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Former Colorado chief justice receives unprecedented public censure
Nathan B. Coats, the former chief justice of Colorado, received an unprecedented public censure on Monday for mishandling the award of a contract to a judicial branch employee who was facing termination for her own misconduct. Coats, who served as chief justice from 2018 through 2020, admitted to violating the Code of Judicial Conduct’s requirement…
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Federal judge dismisses lawsuit against Arapahoe County judges over alleged misconduct
A Denver man may not hold a pair of Arapahoe County judges liable for perceived irregularities in his small claims case, a federal judge ruled last week. Danny Zipris alleged former County Court Judge Anne M. Ollada, who presided over a 2021 trial in which Zipris was the plaintiff, engaged in “ex parte” communication with…