justice melissa hart
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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…
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Colorado Supreme Court to hear oral arguments, one justice is gone | COURT CRAWL
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Welcome to Court Crawl, Colorado Politics’ roundup of news from the third branch of government. The Colorado Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in eight cases this week, plus one of its members is on an unexplained and open-ended leave of absence from the court. Oral arguments • Beginning on Tuesday morning, here is the scheduled…
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Justice Melissa Hart on unexplained ‘leave of absence’ from Colorado Supreme Court
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Justice Melissa Hart is on a leave of absence from the Colorado Supreme Court — with no end date and no general explanation why. A spokesperson for the Colorado Judicial Department confirmed to Colorado Politics that Hart has been on a “temporary personal leave of absence” since Oct. 28. “We are waiting for information from…
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Colorado justices deliver favorable ruling for organizations raising open meetings violations
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The Colorado Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that organizations are entitled to the same recovery of their costs as individuals when they successfully pursue a public entity’s violation of the state’s open meetings law. The Colorado Open Meetings Law permits “any person” to challenge a violation of the law. At the same time, it grants…
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Colorado’s chief justice describes threats, invasions of privacy after Trump disqualification decision
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Chief Justice Monica M. Márquez spoke out on Thursday about the threats and invasions of privacy members of the Colorado Supreme Court and their families endured after a high-profile 2023 decision to disqualify now-President Donald Trump from the state’s ballot. “No government official — I don’t care if you’re a legislator, an executive branch official…
