montezuma county
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Senate advances judicial nominee, Montezuma County judge agrees to discipline | COURT CRAWL
Welcome to Court Crawl, Colorado Politics’ roundup of news from the third branch of government. A U.S. Senate committee advanced a judicial nominee from Colorado, plus a Montezuma County judge agreed to receive discipline for his misconduct that stops short of removal from the bench. Senate advances Domenico • The Senate Judiciary Committee voted along…
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Montezuma County judge’s censure, suspension approved by discipline panel
A three-member disciplinary panel accepted, on Monday, an agreement between a Montezuma County judge and the Colorado Commission on Judicial Discipline that specifies he will receive a censure, a suspension, and additional education for his admitted instances of misconduct. Under constitutional Amendment H, which voters adopted in November 2024, County Court Judge Ian J. MacLaren…
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Montezuma County judge, discipline officials agree upon suspension for numerous misconduct admissions
A Montezuma County judge and the Colorado Commission on Judicial Discipline both agreed this month that a suspension and public censure are the appropriate consequences for his multiple instances of misconduct, including invoking his title when facing a citation from state officials and exhibiting bias against a criminal defendant. Under constitutional Amendment H, which voters…
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First ever disciplinary trial of a Colorado judge scheduled under new system
A disciplinary panel on Thursday scheduled a mid-August hearing to adjudicate the alleged misconduct of Montezuma County Court Judge Ian J. MacLaren. Following voters’ passage of constitutional Amendment H in November 2024, adjudication of serious judicial misconduct allegations is open to public scrutiny earlier in the process. The amendment also created a system in which three-member panels…
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Appeals court orders new child abuse trial due to improper evidence of prior mistreatment
Colorado’s second-highest court overturned a Montezuma County defendant’s child abuse conviction last month, concluding evidence of prior mistreatment was too dissimilar to the alleged conduct that formed the basis of the criminal charges. Garland Kay Malcolm received a 32-year prison sentence after jurors convicted her in 2023 for the severe injuries to a 6-year-old boy…
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Panel member ejected from one judge’s discipline case, as second judge challenges protocols in his proceeding
One member of a panel adjudicating the misconduct allegations against a county court judge has been replaced due to her alleged non-responsiveness, at the same time a different county court judge is objecting to the intended protocols in his own disciplinary case. Following voters’ passage of constitutional Amendment H in November 2024, adjudication of serious…
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Montezuma County judge says ‘imperfect decisions’ do not justify disciplinary authorities’ ‘overreach’
A Montezuma County judge responded on Monday to the allegations of misconduct against him, arguing any poor decisions he may have made did not justify his removal from office and further insisting he did not lie to disciplinary officials. In early September, the Colorado Commission on Judicial Discipline accused County Court Judge Ian J. MacLaren…
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Montezuma County judge faces disciplinary proceedings for ‘lying,’ handling of criminal case
Judicial discipline authorities are seeking the censure and removal of Montezuma County Court Judge Ian J. MacLaren, who allegedly committed misconduct in his handling of a criminal case, made false statements to investigators about his actions, and attempted to use his status to get favorable treatment for his own civil infraction. The Colorado Commission on…
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Federal judge green-lights some claims for trial in death of Montezuma County jail detainee
A federal judge on Friday ended some claims and permitted others to proceed to a jury trial over the 2021 death of a severely intoxicated man in the Montezuma County jail. Surviving family members of Kelroy Newman filed suit against the county, its elected sheriff, a deputy, the hospital where Newman was seen and his…
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Montezuma County man’s drug conviction overturned because prosecution presented skewed narrative
Colorado’s second-highest court last week overturned a Montezuma County man’s drug conviction after concluding a judge allowed the prosecution to present a misleading version of what happened during the defendant’s arrest. At the 2022 trial of Ramon Alberto Dejesus III, jurors saw a series of largely muted videos depicting Dejesus’ arrest and booking into jail. At…