supreme court
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Federal judge blocks Colorado law raising firearm-purchase age, lets waiting period take effect
A federal judge on Monday granted the request of two Colorado residents to block a new Colorado law generally raising the age limit for purchasing firearms to 21. At the same time, in a separate lawsuit, U.S. District Court Chief Judge Philip A. Brimmer declined to bar enforcement of another recently-enacted law establishing a three-day…
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10th Circuit judges urge full-court consideration of immigration issue, while siding with man’s torture claims
The Denver-based federal appeals court has agreed a Colorado immigration judge was wrong when he concluded Costa Rican police officers who abducted and raped a man, while wearing their uniforms and using their police car, were not actually acting in their government roles. Consequently, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the…
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Federal judge calls government unjustified in attempt to keep non-citizen detained
A federal judge has determined the government was unjustified in its fight to keep a woman locked up in an Aurora immigrant detention center while her deportation case proceeded. U.S. District Court Judge Charlotte N. Sweeney ordered the federal government last September to hold a hearing to determine whether Brenda Viruel Arias should be released from…
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Colorado appeals court recognizes right to effective counsel in forced-medication cases
For the first time, Colorado’s second-highest court has recognized there is a right to effective assistance of counsel for people involved in criminal cases whom the government wishes to forcibly medicate. A three-judge panel relied on similar decisions from other states and the principle that involuntary medication proceedings can result in a loss of liberty,…
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Federal judge dismisses Colorado Springs man’s challenge to 3 state gun laws
A federal judge last week dismissed a Colorado Springs man’s lawsuit that sought to declare multiple gun safety laws unconstitutional in the wake of a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision expanding gun rights. Delbert Elmer Sgaggio Jr. sued to halt enforcement of Colorado’s law prohibiting those who are subject to protection orders, also known as…
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Colorado leaders cautious about altering anti-discrimination law following SCOTUS decision
After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a Christian website designer, along with businesses that create speech, do not have to serve LGBTQ customers if the desired message violates their beliefs, policymakers in Colorado are pondering whether changes to the state’s anti-discrimination law are warranted. Currently, the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act (CADA) makes it unlawful for businesses…
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Colorado elected officials can now block constituents on social media for any reason
Be careful what you comment on an elected official’s social media page. If they don’t like it, they might block you – thanks to a new state law. Gov. Jared Polis signed House Bill 1306 into law on Monday, giving all elected officials in the state the power to block someone from viewing or interacting with an…
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Federal judge says Westminster officers not liable for using Taser on man in home in front of family
Westminster police officers who hit and tased an intoxicated man in his home while his child and wife screamed for them to stop cannot be held liable for excessive force, a federal judge ruled last month. Although Jose Sariñana Gandara’s wife originally called 911 to inquire about transporting Sariñana to a detox facility, multiple officers who…
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Senators, Neguse again introduce bill to give Colorado 3 more federal judges
Three Democratic members of Colorado’s congressional delegation have once again introduced a bill to establish three new judgeships on the state’s federal trial court, which would expand the size of the bench for the first time in four decades. U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper and U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse have re-filed the Colorado…
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Jared Polis celebrates SCOTUS decision on California’s animal confinement law
Gov. Jared Polis praised last week’s decision of the U.S. Supreme Court that upheld the ability of states to enact laws governing the treatment of livestock. In National Pork Producers Council v. Ross, the pork industry challenged a California law, enacted by ballot initiative, to require producers of meat and egg products to comply with certain…