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Tag: First amendment

Two doors and an insurance policy: Inside the legal backstops in Tina Peters’ October 16 hearing
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Two doors and an insurance policy: Inside the legal backstops in Tina Peters’ October 16 hearing

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice After more than four years of courtroom battles and appeals, former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters’ fight now hinges on a single federal question: whether Colorado courts violated her constitutional rights by denying her bond pending appeal.  The Oct. 16 motions hearing was part of a broader federal proceeding stemming from Peters’ Application for a Writ of Habeas Corpus filed in February. That petition asks the U.S. District Court to determine whether her ongoing detention violates the Constitution. It argues that the state’s denial of bail pending appeal punished Peters for her speech, violated her First and Fourteenth Amendments, and ignored the federal obligations that she says guided her actions as Mesa County Clerk under the Supremacy ...
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Justice Alito Calls Out Colorado’s ‘Blatant Viewpoint Discrimination’ on Therapy Law
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The Federalist, Approved, National

Justice Alito Calls Out Colorado’s ‘Blatant Viewpoint Discrimination’ on Therapy Law

By Shawn Fleetwood | The Federalist Associate Justice Samuel Alito exposed the absurdity of a Colorado law prohibiting so-called “conversion therapy” for minors during a high-profile case before the Supreme Court on Tuesday. The moment came during oral arguments in Chiles v. Salazar, a case focused on a legal challenge brought by Colorado resident Kaley Chiles. A licensed therapist who provides counseling to children struggling with issues related to sexual orientation and gender dysphoria, Chiles alleges that the Centennial State’s “conversion therapy” law infringes upon her First Amendment right to free speech by inhibiting the types of discussions she has with her minor clients. When questioning Colorado Solicitor General Shannon Stevenson, Alito posed ...
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Supreme Court to Weigh Colorado Ban on Therapy for Gender Identity Counseling
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CBS Colorado, Approved, State

Supreme Court to Weigh Colorado Ban on Therapy for Gender Identity Counseling

By Anna Alejo | CBS Colorado On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on a case set to determine if Colorado's ban on so-called "conversion therapy" for minors violates the free speech clause of the First Amendment. The Lee family in Wellington filed an amicus brief in support of overturning Colorado's ban on the therapy. A Colorado law passed in 2019 restricts therapists from trying to change the sexual orientation or gender identity of kids under the age of 18. They opposed the law after they say it limited access for their daughter to receive therapy that met their family's needs. "They are forbidden by law from going down that path of helping a child through their gender confusion versus further into that confusion and so there's been lots of paren...
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Free speech and consequences: CU Boulder lecturer and Vail teacher face scrutiny over Kirk assassination remarks
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Free speech and consequences: CU Boulder lecturer and Vail teacher face scrutiny over Kirk assassination remarks

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Editor’s note: This story was updated on Sept. 23 to include a statement from CU Boulder spokesperson Nicole Mueksch. Freedom of speech is one of America’s most cherished rights. But too often it is misunderstood as a free pass to say anything without consequence. The killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk earlier this month has made that painfully clear. Across the country, people who publicly cheered Kirk’s death — whether at work, online, or in classrooms — soon found out that words can carry real consequences. Some were fired. Others were suspended. Many faced a wave of anger from the public. In Colorado, questions about free speech and accountability are now playing out in two very different settings. One invol...
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A Nation Mourns: The Unthinkable Murder of Charlie Kirk and the Politics of Silence
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, National, Top Stories

A Nation Mourns: The Unthinkable Murder of Charlie Kirk and the Politics of Silence

By C.J. Garbo | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice A national moral collapse. A political crime worse than any before. On September 10, 2025, Charlie Kirk stood at Utah Valley University. He manned his “Prove Me Wrong” table. He invited students to debate. Then a gunshot rang out. He recoiled. He collapsed. He bled. He died. We don’t yet know the full outcome. Some reports say he remains alive but critically wounded. Others say he is dead. If he has died, it is the most disturbing act of political violence in modern American history. Charlie Kirk’s only act was to speak. He didn’t insult. He didn’t riot. He didn’t strike anyone. He offered arguments. He invited discussion. His "crime" was free expression in the public square, in good faith, with those who disagreed with him...
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Peters Claims First Amendment Rights Violated in Bond Denial
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State, Approved, The Daily Sentinel

Peters Claims First Amendment Rights Violated in Bond Denial

By Sam Klomhaus | The Daily Sentinel Attorneys for former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters argued in a briefing filed Tuesday that Peters’ has been prosecuted in violation of her First Amendment right, and that a federal court is allowed to grant her request for bail pending appeal. The filing asks for Peters to be released from custody. She is serving a nine-year sentence at the La Vista Correctional Facility in Pueblo. Peters was convicted of three counts of attempting to influence a public servant, one count of conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation, one count of official misconduct and one count of failure to comply with the secretary of state, and sentenced to nine years of incarceration in October 2024 after she was accused of allowing an unauthorized person to enter a sec...
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Trump Orders Legal Crackdown on Flag Burning With Immigration Penalties
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National, Approved, Fox News

Trump Orders Legal Crackdown on Flag Burning With Immigration Penalties

By Emma Colton | Fox News FIRST ON FOX: President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order on Monday cracking down on suspects who desecrate the American flag, including burning it, by mandating they face prosecution, Fox News Digital exclusively learned. "The American flag is the most sacred and cherished symbol of the United States of America, and desecrating it is uniquely and inherently offensive and provocative. It is a statement of contempt and hostility toward our Nation, and an act used by groups of foreign nationals calculated to intimidate and threaten violence against Americans," a fact sheet on the order provided to Fox News Digital reads. The executive order will direct the attorney general to prosecute those who violate laws "in ways that involve desecrati...
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Weiser Defends Censorship of Conversations Between Therapists and Clients at Supreme Court
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State, Approved, kdvr.com

Weiser Defends Censorship of Conversations Between Therapists and Clients at Supreme Court

By Ashley Michels | KDVR Fox 31 DENVER (KDVR) — The state of Colorado and a licensed counselor from Colorado Springs are each preparing to argue before the United States Supreme Court. Last week, the Supreme Court set the date for when it will consider a case from Colorado involving free speech. On Tuesday, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser filed the state’s merits brief, which lays out the state’s argument for why the court should rule in Colorado’s favor. “This is a broad principle and the principle that we are standing on is states have the police power right to protect our citizens against substandard care,” Weiser said in a virtual press conference. The case Chiles v. Salazar focuses on a 2019 state law banning conversion therapy for minors. Kaley Chiles, a licensed pr...
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Appliance Group Challenges Colorado Gas Stove Warning Labels In Court
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State, Approved, The Gazette

Appliance Group Challenges Colorado Gas Stove Warning Labels In Court

By Scott Weiser | The Gazette A trade organization representing gas stove manufacturers filed a request for a temporary restraining order against the state over a requirement that gas stoves sold at retail have a yellow sticker warning buyers of the purported health risks of using natural gas for cooking. The complaint, filed by the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, asserted a First Amendment violation over government-compelled speech and sought an injunction against the law. The trade association alleged HB25-1161’s labeling requirement unconstitutionally compels its members to convey a message they disagree with. The law went into effect Aug. 1. It requires the yellow label read: "Understand the air quality implications of having an indoor gas stove" and include ...
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Colorado Springs leaders weigh in as pastors’ political speech could expand
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The Gazette, Approved, Local

Colorado Springs leaders weigh in as pastors’ political speech could expand

By Debbie Kelley | The Gazette A recent proposed settlement in a federal court case out of Texas that would change how churches intersect with politics has become what supporters call restoring free speech rights and opponents call breaching the separation of church and state. If the filing by the Internal Revenue Service stands in a 2024 lawsuit that several religious groups brought against the IRS, churches and other houses of worship would be allowed to endorse political candidates from the pulpit during religious services without danger of losing their tax-exempt status. Reactions from pastors and politicians are mixed. The Rev. Steve Holt, founder and senior pastor of The Road Church, a large nondenominational congregation in Colorado Springs, supports the idea and said he...
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