magistrate judge n. reid neureiter
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Colorado’s federal judges recused 200+ times in 4 years for variety of reasons
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
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
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…
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Colorado federal judges unveil new ‘civility code,’ share stories about bad behavior
Four members of Colorado’s U.S. District Court introduced lawyers on Tuesday to a new, nonbinding “civility code” and expressed frustration about overly belligerent behavior they are seeing more frequently from attorneys. “It feeds on itself. One lawyer in a case starts with snarky comments in the briefs or the motions, the other side may try…
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All about the ‘quandary’: Judges talk about when Colorado Supreme Court wades into federal cases
For the most part, cases that are filed in state court proceed linearly through the state trial courts, appellate court and Supreme Court. Likewise, federal cases are heard by a federal trial judge, a federal appeals court and, on rare occasions, the nation’s highest court. But sometimes, when a federal case involves a question of…
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2 federal judges pitch lawyers on benefits of handing cases over to magistrate judges
Two of Colorado’s federal district judges, speaking on Tuesday about why lawyers should consent to having magistrate judges handle more cases, said they were disturbed that barely more than a dozen attorneys showed up. “We’re concerned even about this turnout for two (district) judges speaking,” said U.S. District Court Judge Charlotte N. Sweeney at a…
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10th Circuit revives transgender detainee’s lawsuit against El Paso County sheriff
The federal appeals court based in Denver ruled on Wednesday that a transgender detainee at the El Paso County jail could proceed with her lawsuit against the sheriff and a deputy for alleged violations of her constitutional rights. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit agreed that several of…
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Federal judges clarify behind-the-scenes interactions, warn about incentives of motions backlog data
Two members of Colorado’s federal bench spoke on Thursday about the ways in which district judges and magistrate judges interact without compromising each other’s independence, plus they delivered a warning about how the public disclosure of docket data can create problematic incentives to deciding cases. Most civil cases in Colorado’s federal trial court are assigned…
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Colorado Supreme Court says injured motorists can seek both workers’ comp, insurance benefits
The Colorado Supreme Court underscored on Monday that employees who are injured on the job in a vehicle accident by a third party are able to pursue workers’ compensation in addition to insurance benefits. Confusion arose among judges about whether an employee’s receipt of workers’ comp benefits foreclosed any lawsuit they could bring against their…