us district court
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Colorado’s federal trial judges keep backlogs steady, but data show discrepancies
Colorado’s federal trial judges collectively had 71 motions in civil cases that had been sitting on their dockets for at least six months without a ruling as of March 31, according to recently released data from the judiciary. However, the reported information contains discrepancies, and at least one judge’s list understates his number of pending…
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What’s in a name? 2 federal judges hold ‘hearings’ differently than advertised
Soon after her appointment to Colorado’s U.S. District Court in 2021, Judge Regina M. Rodriguez implemented a new procedure for handling motions for summary judgment — meaning one party in a civil lawsuit is asking to end the case in their favor without a trial. She began requiring lawyers to identify, in chart format, all of…
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Colorado federal judges unveil new ‘civility code,’ share stories about bad behavior
Four members of Colorado’s U.S. District Court introduced lawyers on Tuesday to a new, nonbinding “civility code” and expressed frustration about overly belligerent behavior they are seeing more frequently from attorneys. “It feeds on itself. One lawyer in a case starts with snarky comments in the briefs or the motions, the other side may try…
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Colorado Supreme Court bars man from further legal filings due to ‘ongoing abuse’
The Colorado Supreme Court barred a Parker man on Friday from making any more legal filings by himself, finding he repeatedly pursued groundless litigation aimed at harassing his opponents. The unsigned May 23 order explained the Supreme Court had the duty to balance every person’s constitutional right to access the courts with the need to…
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Q&A with Judge Gordon Gallagher | Colorado’s first federal district judge stationed on Western Slope
Gordon P. Gallagher first joined Colorado’s federal trial court in 2012 as a part-time magistrate judge stationed in Grand Junction. In March 2023, the U.S. Senate confirmed him to a lifetime appointment as a district judge — one of five Biden administration appointees to the state’s U.S. District Court. Gallagher became the first district judge in…
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‘100% Ted Lasso’: Timothy O’Hara ceremonially sworn in as federal magistrate judge
Over two decades ago, Timothy P. O’Hara walked into the Chicago courtroom of Judge Thomas More Donnelly and auditioned in a mock trial for a legal fellowship program Donnelly directed. O’Hara appeared to be a natural trial attorney, Donnelly and the other coaches agreed, but they identified one problem. “Our head coach put it bluntly:…
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2 federal judges pitch lawyers on benefits of handing cases over to magistrate judges
Two of Colorado’s federal district judges, speaking on Tuesday about why lawyers should consent to having magistrate judges handle more cases, said they were disturbed that barely more than a dozen attorneys showed up. “We’re concerned even about this turnout for two (district) judges speaking,” said U.S. District Court Judge Charlotte N. Sweeney at a…
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‘An American success story’: Cyrus Chung ceremonially sworn in as federal magistrate judge
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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Lawyer asks federal judge to recuse himself due to pronoun policy in courtroom
Lawyers challenging a collegiate athletic association’s policy regarding transgender participants have asked a federal judge to recuse himself from handling the case because of his courtroom protocols requiring people to use the appropriate pronouns when referring to others. U.S. District Court Judge S. Kato Crews, an appointee of Joe Biden, has adopted practice standards addressing…
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Federal judges’ backlog holds steady on Colorado’s district court
As of Sept. 30, Colorado’s federal trial judges collectively had 73 motions in civil cases that had been sitting on their dockets for at least six months without a ruling. The Civil Justice Reform Act of 1990 requires public reporting of motions awaiting action in civil matters assigned to each district judge and magistrate judge. Twice a year,…