judiciary
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Colorado’s courts by the numbers: 2022 in review
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Following the COVID-19 pandemic’s disruption of the justice system, Colorado’s state and federal courts are still experiencing lower volumes of cases, with the drop being particularly acute for some courts more than others. Colorado Politics examined the workloads of various courts in 2022, with the federal system reporting calendar year statistics and the state judiciary…
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Report: Formal judicial discipline proceedings increased in 2022, while corrective actions declined
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Last year, the Colorado Commission on Judicial Discipline commenced more formal disciplinary cases against judges than it had in the prior 12 years total, according to the commission’s annual report, while at the same time issuing relatively few corrective actions. The commission’s 2022 report indicated it received 249 complaints, officially known as requests for evaluation…
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Colorado legal community honors roster of Black female judges
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Members of the legal community gathered over the weekend in Denver to celebrate the influx of Black women into the state’s judiciary over the past four years, the result of a deliberate campaign to increase diversity after Colorado recently came close to having no Black district court judges sitting on the bench. Now, 4% of…
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Chief justice tells legislature about accomplishments, planned reforms to judiciary
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Chief Justice Brian D. Boatright on Friday told the legislature the state’s judicial branch is making progress on diversity and workplace culture, while warning lawmakers about the need to address low compensation and problematic levels of turnover. Boatright also threw his endorsement behind two new proposals that would reform the process for disciplining judges, including an amendment…
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Disciplinary information rarely considered in decisions on judge retention
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Colorado’s system of judicial discipline is so secret that the state’s nearly two dozen performance review commissions that evaluate judges have rarely known for sure whether a jurist they recommended voters keep on the bench had a record of misconduct or not. That shortfall is a critical flaw in the state’s judicial retention process that…
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Contract memo whistleblower expected to appear before Colorado legislative committee on judicial discipline
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Chris Ryan, the former state court administrator for the Colorado Judicial Department who alleged that a tell-all sex discrimination lawsuit by a former employee was silenced by a multi-million-dollar contract – an assertion since refuted by investigators hired by the department – is expected to testify before a legislative committee exploring changes to how judges…
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U.S. Senate confirms Charlotte Sweeney as Colorado’s first openly gay federal judge
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Charlotte N. Sweeney will be the next federal judge in Colorado, following a Wednesday U.S. Senate vote of 48-46 to confirm her. Sweeney, a workers’ rights attorney, will be the first openly gay federal judge in Colorado. Her confirmation also marks the first time that three women will simultaneously serve as trial judges on the…
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For prominent Colorado judge, Ukrainian war with Russia poses potential threat to judicial reform
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For Colorado’s highest-ranking federal judge, the war between Ukraine and Russia has not only reignited death and devastation in his ancestral home, but has potentially set back his professional efforts to improve the country’s judicial system. Timothy M. Tymkovich, the chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, has visited Ukraine…
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Prosecutors, public defenders square off on jury bias bill as Senate committee seeks compromise
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Elected prosecutors strenuously opposed and defense attorneys vigorously supported proposed legislation to address implicit bias in jury selection, prompting the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday to postpone action and search for a middle ground. Proponents of Senate Bill 128 hope to join the handful of states whose legislatures or highest courts have enacted procedures making…
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Law school enrollment may be on the rise
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Many smart, ambitious undergrads no longer automatically think of law school as their path to success. The recession of the late 2000s resulted in a nationwide drop in student interest in law school and opportunities for young lawyers. Numbers might be ticking up slightly now, based on Law School Admission Test statistics and first-year class…