u.s. district court
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Federal judges dole out harsh words, monetary sanctions for lawyers’ conduct
In recent months, judges on Colorado’s federal trial court have delivered stinging rebukes to lawyers – and in some instances, monetary penalties – for their behavior in the course of litigation. Although it is typical for judges to deliver critiques of lawyers’ legal arguments, it is less common for them to lay down accusations of unprofessionalism and…
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The 20-minute lifeline: Colorado’s federal court eyes a new program to aid those behind bars | COVER STORY
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, other states call on court to block Idaho’s abortion travel ban
Colorado is weighing in on a legal battle against Idaho’s new law restricting a minor’s ability to cross state lines to receive an abortion. Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser filed a brief Monday in support of a lawsuit challenging Idaho’s law, which makes it a crime for adults to help minors obtain abortion pills, or for…
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‘More than a symbol’: Western Slope’s Gordon Gallagher ceremonially sworn in to federal judgeship
In little over two years since taking office, President Joe Biden has made multiple historic appointments to Colorado’s federal trial court, selecting the first openly gay judge and the first Asian American judge, for example. But Biden opted for a different kind of diversity when he installed the most recent member of the U.S. District…
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New faces, new approach: Charlotte Sweeney talks about transformation of Colorado’s federal court
In just two years, the Biden administration appointed four – soon to be five – judges to Colorado’s seven-member federal trial court. One of them spoke on Friday about how she and the other new members are taking a different approach to the job. “It certainly seems like we’re moving back to being out more in the…
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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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Colorado’s courts by the numbers: 2022 in review
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…
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Federal judiciary again recommends 2 new judge seats for Colorado
The federal judiciary’s policymaking body has once again recommended that Congress create two new seats on Colorado’s seven-member trial court. On Tuesday, the Judicial Conference of the United States released its list of districts in which the workload merits additional judges, with the largest increases requested in the federal trial courts for California, Texas and Florida.…
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‘An American success story’: Nina Wang formally sworn in as history-making federal judge
Colorado’s newest federal judge, Nina Y. Wang, has a quote taped on her courtroom bench from the memoir of American lawyer and social justice advocate Bryan Stevenson. “I’ve come to believe that the true measure of our commitment to justice, the character of our society, our commitment to the rule of law, fairness, and equality cannot…
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Colorado, 9 other states sue pesticide makers for anti-competitive practices
Colorado and nine other states joined the Federal Trade Commission’s lawsuit against pesticide makers Syngenta and Corteva on Thursday, accusing them of engaging in anti-competitive practices. The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court alleges that the companies use loyalty programs with pesticide distributors to exclude generic competitors from the market. The lawsuit claims the companies…