us attorney
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Colorado’s district court appoints Peter McNeilly as US attorney
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Colorado’s federal trial court took the unusual step last week of appointing Peter McNeilly as the state’s top federal prosecutor, who may hold that position until a presidentially nominated and U.S. Senate-confirmed appointee takes over. In a single-sentence order on Oct. 1, U.S. District Court Chief Judge Philip A. Brimmer indicated McNeilly will be Colorado’s…
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Colorado’s federal courts announce preparations if shutdown is prolonged
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The federal trial and appeals courts headquartered in Denver have announced anticipated changes to their operations should the lapse in congressional appropriations be prolonged, with Oct. 17 being a critical date for the judiciary. In an Oct. 1 letter to all federal judges, public defenders and related staff, Robert J. Conrad Jr., who heads the…
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‘An American success story’: Cyrus Chung ceremonially sworn in as federal magistrate judge
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Cyrus Y. Chung’s parents immigrated to the U.S. from Korea, and they had a vision about which paths would offer the surest bet for a good life. “Asian immigrant parents, chasing a better life, think themselves very generous because they offer their kids three whole career options: You can be a doctor, you can be…
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Trump’s executive orders prompt US Attorney Office to pull out of Colorado judge’s diversity program
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A pair of executive orders issued by President Donald Trump this week has prompted the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Colorado to withdraw from a federal judge’s longstanding internship program for law students of diverse backgrounds. Retired U.S. Magistrate Judge Kristen L. Mix started the Diversity Internship Program in 2014 to place University of Colorado and…
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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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Colorado’s federal trial court selects 2 new magistrate judges
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Colorado’s federal trial court announced on Monday that it has named public defender Timothy P. O’Hara and prosecutor Cyrus Y. Chung to be its newest magistrate judges, filling one current and one pending vacancy. Unlike district judges, who the president nominates and the U.S. Senate confirms, magistrate judges serve eight-year terms following an appointment by…
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Federal judge calls government unjustified in attempt to keep non-citizen detained
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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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Four Firsts: Biden’s first four judicial appointees in Colorado have begun to make their mark
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One month before President-elect Joe Biden would take office, his incoming White House counsel, Dana Remus, sent a letter to Democratic senators outlining the new administration’s expectations for who the president would consider for high-level appointments in the justice system. “With respect to each of these positions,” she wrote, “President-elect Biden is eager to nominate…
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Federal judge refuses to send Colorado Springs man’s lawsuit alleging ICE brutality to Louisiana
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A federal judge in Colorado rebuffed the government’s request to transfer a Colorado Springs man’s lawsuit to Louisiana, in which he alleges immigration officers physically assaulted and infected him with COVID-19 during his detention. Acheleke Fuanya, an asylum seeker from Cameroon, left the Winn Correctional Center in March 2021 and sued the U.S. government for…
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State prosecutors look to federal distribution law as model for combating fentanyl
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While state law provides prosecutors with the ability to charge for murder, manslaughter or criminally negligent homicide, some district attorneys wish they had another tool to go after those who distribute fentanyl resulting in a person’s death. “Proving that someone distributed a drug with the intent to kill someone else is very hard,” said Brian…
