magistrate judge n. reid neureiter
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Federal judge declines to dismiss strike-breaking nurses’ lawsuit over wage violations
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A federal judge last week declined to dismiss 39 nursing employees’ claims for compensation against a Greenwood Village-based company for its alleged violations of state and federal law. U.S. Nursing Corporation employs health care professionals to cross the picket lines during strikes. During a three-day strike in October 2023 at Kaiser Permanente facilities, USN sent…
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Federal judge opens new front in effort to increase magistrate judge handling of civil cases
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One of Colorado’s federal judges rang in the new year with a new effort to spread out the U.S. District Court’s civil caseload among its roster of magistrate judges. “NOTICE ENCOURAGING CONSIDERATION OF CONSENT,” Judge S. Kato Crews has written in docket entries across at least nine recently filed civil cases so far. “This district’s…
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Judges speak about public trust and criticism, ICE’s warrantless arrests under scrutiny | COURT CRAWL
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Welcome to Court Crawl, Colorado Politics’ roundup of news from the third branch of government. A handful of federal and state judges spoke last week about trust and communications challenges with the public, plus a federal judge seemed to believe immigration authorities are making warrantless arrests in violation of the law. ‘Put our heads down’…
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Report: Colorado’s federal trial court sees time to trial tick up, magistrate judge consent remain low
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Colorado’s federal trial court saw a slight uptick in the number of civil cases filed in 2024 and also a slight increase in the average time for a case to reach trial, according to a statistical report compiled by U.S. Magistrate Judge N. Reid Neureiter. Neureiter also noted the percentage of cases handled exclusively by…
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Federal judge advances claim against prison guard for allegedly outing man as ‘snitch’
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A federal judge last week agreed an incarcerated man could sue a prison guard for allegedly putting him in danger and retaliating against him by revealing to other inmates that the plaintiff filed a sexual harassment complaint. The plaintiff, who is incarcerated at the Arkansas Valley Correctional Facility, raised allegations against three prison employees that…
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Federal judge permits excessive force claim to proceed against prison employees
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A federal judge on Wednesday agreed two state prison employees could be sued for allegedly using excessive force against an incarcerated man. Jared Lee Chavez, representing himself, alleged “Sgt. Smith” and “Sgt. Grilli” violently pulled Chavez from his cell at Sterling Correctional Facility in February 2022. Chavez allegedly complied with orders, but the defendants slammed…
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Colorado’s federal judges recused 200+ times in 4 years for variety of reasons
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Colorado’s federal judges issued orders recusing themselves from cases at least 203 times in four years, with reasons ranging from unspecified appearances of partiality to potential conflicts created by their prior employment and family connections. One judge also noted in recusing himself that if he ruled against an attorney who was his personal friend, “it…
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Federal judge dismisses prisoner’s lawsuit alleging doctor stuck needle in unnumbed eyeball
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A federal judge last month dismissed a lawsuit from an incarcerated man who claimed a doctor violated his rights by sticking a needle into his unnumbed eyeball, causing extensive damage. Ronald Lee Smith, who is incarcerated at Buena Vista Correctional Facility, alleged he was taken to Denver Health in July 2021. While there, ophthalmologist Maryam…
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Federal judge rejects Jeffrey Epstein-linked businessman’s request to shield case from public
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A federal judge on Monday refused a litigant’s request to completely shield his civil case from public view, noting in a strongly worded order that the man had chosen to bring his otherwise private arbitration dispute into the federal court system. “Federal judges and their court staff are not legal pawns to be deployed in…
