Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: Judiciary

Montezuma County Judge Agrees to 90 Day Suspension After Misconduct Admissions
Colorado Politics, Approved, Local

Montezuma County Judge Agrees to 90 Day Suspension After Misconduct Admissions

By: Michael Karlik | Colorado Politics A Montezuma County judge and the Colorado Commission on Judicial Discipline both agreed this month that a suspension and public censure are the appropriate consequences for his multiple instances of misconduct, including invoking his title when facing a citation from state officials and exhibiting bias against a criminal defendant. Under constitutional Amendment H, which voters adopted in November 2024, a three-member panel will formally administer discipline to County Court Judge Ian J. MacLaren. The commission originally sought MacLaren’s removal from the bench for actions that allegedly included lying to disciplinary officials. However, on July 11, the parties told the panel that a combination of a public censure, unpaid...
Washington Post Frames Constitutional Rulings As Civil Rights Setbacks
The Federalist, Approved, Commentary, National

Washington Post Frames Constitutional Rulings As Civil Rights Setbacks

By Shawn Fleetwood | Commentary, The Federalist In his new article, Washington Post reporter Justin Jouvenal attempts to convince readers that SCOTUS has waged a war on ‘civil rights.’ The unspoken competition among legacy media outlets to see who can produce the most asinine propaganda is pretty fierce this week. On top of a debunked hatchet job involving the Pentagon and Vatican, The Washington Post decided to throw its hat in the ring with a particularly dumb hit piece of its own — this time, against the U.S. Supreme Court. In a Thursday article titled, “Supreme Court remade by Trump ushers in historic defeats for civil rights,” Post reporter Justin Jouvenal attempted to convince readers that the court’s conservative justices have waged an all-...
Colorado Federal Judges Hold Line On Immigration Detention Limits Despite Fifth Circuit Ruling
Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Colorado Federal Judges Hold Line On Immigration Detention Limits Despite Fifth Circuit Ruling

By Michael Karlik | Colorado Politics Colorado’s federal judges are maintaining their view that the government’s assertion of broad immigration detention authority is unlawful, casting aside a recent appellate decision to the contrary as “unpersuasive” and out of step with the predominant interpretation by the judiciary. However, several judges are speaking out forcefully about the behavior from the government, including missed deadlines, violations of orders, and potential constitutional problems. Beginning last year, a wave of “habeas corpus” cases flooded Colorado’s U.S. District Court, pushing annual civil filings to more than 4,000 for seemingly the first time. Largely, the petitions challenging immigration detention stem from the federal government’s interpr...
Denver Judge Says Colorado Prison Work Policies Violate State Constitution
CBS Colorado, Approved, State

Denver Judge Says Colorado Prison Work Policies Violate State Constitution

By Austen Erblat | CBS Colorado A Denver judge on Friday ruled that the Colorado Department of Corrections has been violating a 2018 amendment to the state constitution by requiring people in state prisons to work under the threat of solitary confinement and other punishments. The ruling comes as part of a class action lawsuit filed four years ago by Harold Mortis, who's serving a 40-year sentence at the Sterling Correctional Facility for a 2016 second-degree murder charge, to which he pleaded guilty. The suit was filed on behalf of thousands of people who are incarcerated in Colorado state prisons. Denver District Court Judge Sarah Wallace ruled that CDOC, its director Moses Stancil, and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis are violating people's rights under Article II, Section...