pro se
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Appeals court, prosecution, defense all agree judge violated Routt County defendant’s right to counsel
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After the government and the defense both expressed rare agreement that a judge failed to ensure a Routt County defendant validly gave up his right to counsel, Colorado’s second-highest court ordered a redo of the proceedings on Thursday. Jurors convicted Movses Mikaelyan in 2023 for the unauthorized use of a financial device. Shortly afterward, his…
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Colorado Supreme Court may address Denver juvenile prosecution, one man’s deluge of cases
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The Colorado Supreme Court signaled last month that it may intervene in an ongoing criminal case against a defendant seeking to be tried as a juvenile, and potentially stop a man from continuing to sue the same group of people after a steady stream of judges has disposed of his claims. In the first case…
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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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Susan Prose talks about surprises, self-represented plaintiffs and settlements in first year as magistrate judge
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U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan Prose, speaking about her first year as a federal judge on Thursday, described multiple eye-opening experiences on the bench, including the revelation that some litigants are not actually seeking a speedy trial. “I’ve been surprised to see how frequently folks actually don’t want to go to trial. It’s not just defendants…
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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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Appeals court reverses stalking conviction after Douglas County judge violated right to counsel
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A Douglas County judge violated the rules of criminal procedure and the Sixth Amendment’s right to counsel when she allowed a defense attorney to withdraw, did not seek input from the defendant and did not evaluate the necessity of the withdrawal, Colorado’s second-highest court ruled on Thursday. Shari Leigh Dooley ended up representing herself at trial,…
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Appeals court reverses stalking conviction after Douglas County judge violated right to counsel
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A Douglas County judge violated the rules of criminal procedure and the Sixth Amendment’s right to counsel when she allowed a defense attorney to withdraw, did not seek input from the defendant and did not evaluate the necessity of the withdrawal, Colorado’s second-highest court ruled on Thursday. Shari Leigh Dooley ended up representing herself at trial,…
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Boulder County judge wasn’t obligated to bail out self-represented defendant, appeals court rules
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Colorado’s second-highest court concluded last month that a criminal defendant in Boulder County was not unfairly forced to choose between his rights to a speedy trial and to an attorney, and, when he elected to go without an attorney, the trial judge was not obligated to save him from his own poor performance. Jurors convicted Timothy…
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2 federal judges provide rare glimpse into lawyers’ reviews of their performance
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Two of Colorado’s federal judges on Thursday provided a rare behind-the-scenes look at the performance reviews attorneys have given them, including those that are less-than-flattering. “He looks embarrassing on the bench. Disheveled, disinterested and unprepared,” wrote one lawyer. “Disheveled?” said the target of the review, U.S. Magistrate Judge N. Reid Neureiter. “Sometimes I ride my…
