Author: Michael Karlik
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Federal judges’ backlogs increase in Colorado
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 as of March 31, a backlog that nearly doubled from the previous reporting period. Further, discrepancies in the judiciary’s data showed one judge claiming that he belatedly decided motions…
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Divided opinions tick upward, member goes missing | Colorado Supreme Court term in review
The Colorado Supreme Court released the last decisions of its 2025-2026 term at the end of June, with the final numbers showing a significant uptick in non-unanimous opinions over the prior two terms. Further, the composition of the court had an unexpected change, with the appointment of Justice Susan Blanco in February to succeed Justice…
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Colorado voter intimidation lawsuit revived due to judge’s error, court rules
The Denver-based federal appeals court on Monday reversed a trial judge’s finding that the leaders of an “election integrity” effort had not illegally intimidated Colorado voters through an organized door-to-door canvassing project to search for election fraud in the wake of the 2020 presidential race. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for…
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10th Circuit agrees Colorado satisfied jury award after intercepting money for restitution
The Denver-based federal appeals court agreed last week that Colorado satisfied its obligations by not paying a man directly for violating his rights, but rather crediting the jury’s multimillion-dollar award toward the crime victim restitution he still owed in his criminal case. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit…
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10th Circuit rebuffs government, rules against shift to mandatory immigration detention
The Denver-based federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday against the government’s broad assertion of authority to keep people in immigration custody without the opportunity to demonstrate their suitability for release on bond. Although the regional appeals courts have reached different conclusions on the subject, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit decided the…
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Colorado Supreme Court: Redistricting plans for 2028 election cannot proceed under state constitution
The Colorado Supreme Court blocked all attempts at redrawing congressional district boundaries for the 2028 election from reaching the ballot on Monday, concluding each of the proposed ballot measures violated the constitutional single-subject requirement. The court considered five distinct but related ballot measures. Half of the proposals would have redrawn U.S. House of Representatives districts…
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U.S. government declines to oppose multiple challenges to immigration detention in Colorado
Multiple federal judges in Colorado granted petitions from people challenging the lawfulness of their immigration detention this week after the government took the unusual step of declining to submit arguments in opposition. Colorado’s federal trial court is facing a flood of “habeas corpus” petitions from those in immigration custody. The most common allegation is that the…
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Bennet, Hickenlooper to vote against Trump’s 10th Circuit nominee from Colorado
Colorado’s two Democratic senators will not vote to confirm President Donald Trump’s nominee to a vacancy on the Denver-based federal appeals court. Trump has selected U.S. District Court Chief Judge Daniel D. Domenico, who he appointed as a federal trial judge in 2019, to fill a vacancy arising out of Colorado on the powerful U.S.…
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10th Circuit grants Boulder-Weld district’s fire chief immunity for firing union leader
The Denver-based federal appeals court decided on Monday that the chief of a fire protection district spanning Boulder and Weld counties could not be held liable for terminating a union leader through the process outlined in the collective bargaining agreement. A trial judge concluded Chief David Beebe of the Niwot-based Mountain View Fire Protection District…
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Colorado Supreme Court declines to loosen requirements for insurance company defendants
The Colorado Supreme Court declined last week to reconsider its longstanding expectations for insurance company defendants, and agreed that an insurer failed to properly raise its defenses against a policyholder’s breach-of-contract lawsuit. When an insured driver has an accident with someone who is uninsured, they may obtain benefits under their own insurance policy for the…