pro bono
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‘Not gonna pro bono our way out of this problem’: Justice Melissa Hart speaks about solving access to justice
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Justice Melissa Hart and some of Colorado’s leading pro bono advocates spoke last month about the initiatives currently in place to provide legal assistance to unrepresented litigants, and delivered the message that more volunteer hours simply will not aid everyone who requires help. “We are not gonna pro bono our way out of this problem.…
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Colorado court’s pilot program to aid self-represented prisoners launches after delay, tweaks
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Colorado’s federal trial court this spring began accepting participants in a pilot program intended to link incarcerated plaintiffs with attorneys for onetime legal advice calls, although the initiative has undergone changes since its initial announcement. Colorado’s U.S. District Court authorized a limited legal assistance program last year, allowing prisoners at Fremont Correctional Facility who have…
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‘Opportunity to level the playing field’: Federal judges deliver pro bono pitch to lawyers
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Two years ago, U.S. Magistrate Judge Kristen L. Mix faced a disturbing set of allegations from a prisoner in federal court. The man, incarcerated at the Colorado State Penitentiary, alleged he was a prosecution witness in the trial of another inmate who committed murder. He asked to be housed in protective custody, but instead the…
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‘Hold us accountable’: Justice Melissa Hart warns of access-to-justice barriers
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Justice Melissa Hart on Wednesday warned a gathering of attorneys about the numerous barriers people face in accessing the justice system in Colorado, only some of which the courts can solve without the aid of others from inside and outside the legal profession. “A number of our courts are in places where people have to…
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The 20-minute lifeline: Colorado’s federal court eyes a new program to aid those behind bars | COVER STORY
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With nearly two dozen state prisons and multiple federal facilities in Colorado, federal judges routinely hear lawsuits from incarcerated men and women alleging violations of their rights. The claims range from excessive force and indifference to medical needs to unconstitutional infringements on prisoners’ religious exercise. For the most part, the plaintiffs do not have a…
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Colorado’s courts by the numbers: 2022 in review
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Following the COVID-19 pandemic’s disruption of the justice system, Colorado’s state and federal courts are still experiencing lower volumes of cases, with the drop being particularly acute for some courts more than others. Colorado Politics examined the workloads of various courts in 2022, with the federal system reporting calendar year statistics and the state judiciary…
