The Pueblo Chieftain: The Colorado court system has placed itself above the rest of state government by declaring the judicial branch exempt from the Open Records Act. The judicial branch’s self-serving position flies in the face of the courts’ own cherished rule of equal protection of the laws. It’s reminiscent of George Orwell’s satirical book Animal Farm in which he wrote, “All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.”

qual means everyone is protected and no one is above the law. That’s why we join the Colorado Press Association in support of legislation to counter the Colorado Supreme Court’s exemption by making the judiciary subject to the Open Records Act as all other state agencies already are.

After failed legislative attempts the past two years, Rep. Polly Lawrence, a Douglas County Republican, is back this session sponsoring House Bill 1029. The bill is scheduled for a hearing by the House State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee on Feb. 2 at the State Capitol in Denver.

The controversy first gained wide public attention in 2012 when the Colorado Court of Appeals ruled that the State Public Defender’s Office, which is part of the Judicial Department, did not have to release information about how much the state was spending on Aurora theater mass murderer James Holmes’ defense against the death penalty. Holmes subsequently was sentenced to life imprisonment for killing 12 and wounding 70 others in the theater shooting spree.

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