Four members of Colorado's federal bench spoke publicly on Friday about the current workloads among district and magistrate judges, the recent turnover on the U.S. District Court, and observations about problematic behavior among federal litigators.

A federal judge on Friday blocked the town of Castle Rock from enforcing its land use code against a church that alleges its religious beliefs compel it to operate a temporary homeless shelter in its parking lot.

The federal appeals court based in Denver ruled on Tuesday that an incarcerated man shot by a corrections officer during his courthouse appearance was required to first file an internal prison grievance before suing for excessive force, even though he was outside the prison at the time.

Colorado's second-highest court clarified on Thursday that the inability of medical personnel to successfully draw blood from a suspected drunk driver amounts to an "extraordinary circumstance" excusing law enforcement from completing the blood test.

When President Joe Biden appointed S. Kato Crews as a federal trial judge in January, Crews was no stranger to Colorado's U.S. District Court. He had served as a magistrate judge on the same court for more than five years.

A federal judge on Thursday concluded three civic organizations failed to provide evidence that the leaders of an "election integrity" effort illegally intimidated Colorado voters through a door-to-door canvassing project to search for election fraud in the wake of the 2020 presidential race.

Two members of the Denver-based federal appeals court took the unusual step on Tuesday of encouraging the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit its century-old precedent finding the constitutional right to a jury trial in "all criminal prosecutions" does not apply to petty offenses.

A Morgan County prosecutor undermined the fairness of a defendant's trial by making improper comments about his decision to invoke his constitutional right to silence, Colorado's second-highest court ruled last week.

The plaintiffs who are trying to prove an "election integrity" effort resulted in the illegal intimidation of Colorado voters ran into multiple stumbling blocks in federal court on Tuesday, including the aggressive questioning of the lone voter who claimed she was intimidated and the judge's skepticism about an attempt to introduce new victims at the last minute.

"I fully believe I deserve life in prison," Carson Stabler, a 18-year-old who plead guilty for killing 19-year-old Trevor Branson, said at his sentence hearing today. 

Stabler was initially charged with first-degree murder, but he plead guilty to one count of second-degree murder through a plea agreement that will have him serve seven years at a juvenile detention center.

Three civic rights organizations began to make their case in federal court on Monday that the organizers of a Colorado election auditing effort following the 2020 presidential race conspired to intimidate voters in violation of longstanding voting rights law.

Colorado's second-highest court agreed earlier this month that a Boulder County judge mistakenly rejected a man's petition for postconviction relief when she should have looked into his allegation that his defense lawyer represented him despite being unauthorized to practice law.

Welcome to Court Crawl, Colorado Politics' roundup of news from the third branch of government.

Colorado's second-highest court ruled on Thursday that witnesses who testify before grand juries may not be sued for making false statements.

Colorado's second-highest court ruled on Thursday that the crime of attempting to influence a public servant does not require the defendant to personally be the one making the deceptive statement.

A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed a set of claims from a group of Breckenridge property owners who alleged the town's caps on short-term rental licenses violate their constitutional rights.

A second federal judge on Tuesday refused to dismiss Fort Collins from a lawsuit alleging the city's own failures contributed to a police officer's repeated wrongful arrests of motorists who were not actually intoxicated.

A federal judge on Tuesday threw out a voting rights challenge to Colorado Springs' municipal election schedule, brought by four civic groups seeking to force the city to move its April elections to November to reduce turnout disparities among voters of color.

Colorado's second-highest court reversed a woman's felony convictions for child abuse resulting in death last month after concluding the instructions that a San Miguel County judge provided the jury did not include the necessary language.

Colorado's second-highest court last month ordered a new trial for a woman convicted of felony murder in El Paso County, finding multiple errors that were not individually damaging compromised the fairness of her trial when taken together.

Colorado's second-highest court clarified last week that federal law does not prohibit a person's Social Security benefits from being diverted to pay for their ex-spouse's alimony.

A federal judge last month rejected an attempt by El Paso County and the former medical provider for its jail to dismiss a lawsuit alleging deliberate indifference to a detainee's serious medical needs.

The Fourth Judicial District Nominating Commission announced three finalists for a vacant El Paso County court judge position Tuesday. 

A federal judge last month agreed a jury would decide whether the Colorado Department of Corrections intentionally discriminated against an incarcerated man by imposing restrictions on him after he failed to report to work because of his disability.

The Colorado Supreme Court announced recently that it will hear appeals in multiple cases, including whether Weld County must follow state law when drawing new legislative districts and when utilities may be held liable for injuries caused by their power lines.

In a case that appears designed to catch the attention of the U.S. Supreme Court's conservative majority, a federal judge heard arguments on Monday about whether a Castle Rock church's religious belief that it should house the homeless is enough to let the congregation bypass the town's zoni…

Colorado's Supreme Court and Court of Appeals rarely issue opinions in evictions cases. But Spencer Bailey has repeatedly put multiple questions of evictions law before the state's appellate courts in recent years to clarify the rights of tenants.

Last month, Chief Justice Brian D. Boatright looked out at the packed courtroom of the Colorado Supreme Court to usher in a historic moment in the state's 148-year existence.

The federal appeals court based in Denver concluded on Friday that Sedgwick County could itself be held liable for its former sheriff's sexual assault of a detainee, rejecting the argument that a government policymaker's personal decision to violate someone's rights should fall on them alone.

Colorado's second-highest court on Wednesday clarified that a developer may bring a ballot initiative in Telluride to rezone part of a planned-unit development for affordable housing despite other lot owners' objections.

Colorado's second-highest court on Wednesday once again reminded prosecutors and trial judges to pay attention to the deadlines for crime victim restitution in state law, the latest in a series of decisions cracking down on deviations from the restitution process.

A trial judge incorrectly calculated the sentences of a mother and daughter who pleaded guilty to fraudulently obtaining and selling body parts as part of an eight-year scheme, the federal appeals court based in Denver ruled on Tuesday.

The federal appeals court based in Colorado agreed last week that police officers from Littleton, Englewood and Denver cannot be held liable for killing one person and partially paralyzing another because the plaintiffs' lawyer failed to cite any facts of the case while appealing a trial jud…

Colorado's second-highest court ruled on Wednesday that the Teller County sheriff cannot rely on an agreement with the federal government to authorize his deputies to perform immigration duties state law prohibits — specifically, the continued detention of noncitizens beyond their release fr…

In one of the final oral arguments prior to the Colorado Supreme Court's summer recess, one justice delivered an unusual and specific message to the Colorado Attorney General's Office about a technical legal issue that has substantial ramifications in criminal appeals.

The Colorado Supreme Court concluded on Monday that a Black defendant did not deserve a new trial after one juror disclosed he moved to the overwhelmingly White jurisdiction because he "didn't want diversity," and the trial judge refused to dismiss him for bias.

The Colorado Supreme Court concluded on Monday that a Denver judge did what he needed to do to ensure a defendant received a fair trial after one juror became ill in the middle of deliberations and had to be replaced with the alternate.

Welcome to Court Crawl, Colorado Politics' roundup of news from the third branch of government.

Members of the Colorado Supreme Court wrestled last month with a question that previously divided the state's second-highest court: Did Craig law enforcement effectively place a heavily intoxicated woman in custody and interrogate her for the murder of her husband without providing the neces…

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.

Colorado's second-highest court last month overturned a set of decisions finding a man in contempt and subjecting him to potential jail time, with appellate judges concluding an Arapahoe County magistrate reached unclear, unsupported or confused conclusions about the man's alleged failure to…

A federal judge on Tuesday agreed another lawsuit about the Denver police's forceful response to 2020 demonstrations should face a jury trial over whether the city's own policies led to violations of protesters' constitutional rights.

Members of the Colorado Supreme Court seemed sympathetic last week to the idea that trial judges, under the current rules for criminal cases, cannot restrict defense attorneys from investigating postconviction claims their clients raise when at least one of the claims has merit.

Members of the Colorado Supreme Court appeared skeptical last week that a road rage suspect was "in custody" at the time an Aurora police officer interrogated him, as the state's second-highest court believed was the case.

Boulder County sheriff's detectives continued to interrogate a murder suspect even after he definitively invoked his constitutional right to remain silent, the Colorado Supreme Court concluded on Monday in barring the prosecution from using the man's in-custody statements at trial.

The Colorado Supreme Court agreed on Monday that a Park County judge excluded evidence from a drunk driving prosecution based on an incorrect belief that law enforcement lacked reasonable suspicion of a crime.

A Pueblo County judge incorrectly believed he had to put a defendant in jail until medical professionals could evaluate the man's sanity, the Colorado Supreme Court concluded last week in ordering the release of Mario Arellano from incarceration.

The Colorado Supreme Court decided on Monday that a person on sex offender probation does not have his constitutional rights violated anytime his contact is restricted with minor relatives who are not his children.