justice melissa hart
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Justice Hart to leave Supreme Court, new recs from Access to Justice Commission | COURT CRAWL
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Welcome to Court Crawl, Colorado Politics’ roundup of news from the third branch of government. A member of the Colorado Supreme Court unexpectedly announced her retirement from the bench, plus the state’s Access to Justice Commission has made recommendations following a renewed listening tour. Justice Hart exits • Justice Melissa Hart, a member of the Colorado…
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Justice Melissa Hart to step down from Colorado Supreme Court
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Justice Melissa Hart will step down from the Colorado Supreme Court effective Jan. 5, the Judicial Department announced unexpectedly on Friday. Hart has been on an unexplained and unusual leave of absence from the court since Oct. 28. She told Colorado Politics in November that the leave was for “family and personal health reasons” but provided no…
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Colorado Supreme Court may address ‘new form of representation’ in criminal case
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The Colorado Supreme Court signaled last week that it may get involved in an ongoing Denver criminal proceeding in which the prosecution alleges a trial judge sidestepped the clear rules for appointing defense counsel. At least four of the court’s seven members must agree to intervene in a case outside the typical appellate process. Clemente…
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Justices debate what to do when governments withhold key info from plaintiffs
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Members of the Colorado Supreme Court seemed to be on different pages when they considered on Tuesday whether a woman injured by a sidewalk defect in Manitou Springs was forever barred from suing the actual entity responsible because she did not learn until it was too late that Colorado Springs was the proper defendant. The…
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Colorado justices splinter over approach to sentencing review
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Members of the Colorado Supreme Court were divided on Monday about whether vehicular homicide stemming from intoxicated driving is “grave and serious” in every possible scenario, with two justices suggesting the court reconfigure its approach for determining the proportionality of criminal sentences. The Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment means sentences cannot be…
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Colorado commission makes new access-to-justice recommendations after renewed listening tour
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Adding judges to handle caseloads. Expanding authority for paraprofessionals in civil cases. Allowing self-represented litigants to file electronically. Making the judiciary’s website user-friendly. Those were among the recommendations advanced by the Colorado Access to Justice Commission in a report released Friday, following 22 listening sessions earlier this year. The report was a follow-up to a similar…
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Colorado Supreme Court’s opinion output drops by two-thirds amid justice’s absence
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The Colorado Supreme Court has released significantly fewer new opinions in recent months compared to the previous two years, even as the judicial branch insisted that a member’s open-ended absence is not causing delays. Justice Melissa Hart has been on an unusual leave of absence since Oct. 28, although she also was gone for the…
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Justice Hart’s absence continues, state Supreme Court hears oral arguments | COURT CRAWL
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Welcome to Court Crawl, Colorado Politics’ roundup of news from the third branch of government. One member of the Colorado Supreme Court remains on an unusual leave of absence, plus the court heard oral arguments in eight more cases last month. Justice Hart’s absence continues • Previously, Colorado Politics reported that Justice Melissa Hart has been…
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Colorado Supreme Court to examine whether corporations can be liable for ‘felonious killing’
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The Colorado Supreme Court recently announced that it will determine whether corporations can be liable for a “felonious killing,” meaning there is no limit to the damages they might pay for pain and suffering after causing a wrongful death. At least three of the court’s seven members must agree to take a case on appeal.…
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Justice Melissa Hart missing for third week as judiciary defends Colorado Supreme Court’s functioning
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Justice Melissa Hart missed a third straight week of case considerations as of Monday, with the Colorado Supreme Court indicating she again did not participate in the court’s weekly decision-making about whether to accept or reject pending appeals. The Colorado Judicial Department told Colorado Politics last week that Hart has been on a leave of…
