Colorado Supreme Court

Colorado Supreme Court

Court Records October 22, 2021

Judge’s one-word order closing entire court file raises questions about adherence to new Supreme Court rule

The rule has been in effect since May 10, so it was surprising to see a judge issue a one-word order temporarily sealing all documents in a felony menacing case against Fifth Judicial District Court Judge Mark Thompson. “GRANTED” is all Judge Paul Dunkelman wrote. His order did not contain any of the specific findings required by Rule 55.1, nor did it set a date certain for terminating the order.

Colorado Legislature, Public Records Laws June 28, 2021

Requests for police internal affairs records do not have to identify a specific incident, Colorado Supreme Court rules

The Colorado Supreme Court removed a frustrating barrier for some requesters of police internal affairs records, deciding that criminal justice agencies may not withhold completed IA files from the public simply because the requester has not referenced a “specific, identifiable incident” of alleged misconduct by an officer.

Colorado judicial building

Awards, Court Records, First Amendment, Journalism May 1, 2021

CFOIC’s Zansberg, Denver Post’s Migoya co-recipients of SPJ Colorado’s First Amendment Award for work that prompted new court records sealing standard

Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition president Steve Zansberg and Denver Post investigative reporter David Migoya are co-recipients of this year’s First Amendment Award from the Society of Professional Journalists’ Colorado Pro Chapter for work that prompted a new statewide standard for sealing and suppressing criminal court records.

University of Colorado

Colorado Legislature, Colorado Legislature 2021, Open Meetings Laws, Public Records Laws April 22, 2021

Amicus brief: Court of Appeals ruling in Daily Camera lawsuit ‘deprives the public of meaningful oversight’ of government chief executive hiring

A Colorado Court of Appeals ruling in the Boulder Daily Camera’s lawsuit against the University of Colorado regents sets “a dangerous precedent that deprives the public of any meaningful oversight and input into the selection process of a public body’s chief executive,” says a friend-of-the-court brief filed by the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition and 12 other organizations.

University of Colorado

Colorado Legislature, Colorado Legislature 2021, Open Meetings Laws, Public Records Laws April 15, 2021

Daily Camera asks Colorado Supreme Court to review appellate ruling in CU presidency sole finalist case

The Boulder Daily Camera formally asked the state’s highest court to review the Colorado Court of Appeals’ 2-1 reversal of a district court ruling against the University of Colorado regents for refusing to publicly disclose the names and applications of all six candidates interviewed for the president’s job that went to Mark Kennedy in 2019.

University of Colorado

Open Meetings Laws, Public Records Laws March 4, 2021

Court of Appeals reverses district court ruling that CU regents violated CORA by withholding names and applications of candidates interviewed for presidency

Calling Colorado’s open-government statutes “seriously flawed” regarding the appointment of chief executives, a Colorado Court of Appeals panel decided 2-1 that a district court judge erred in ruling that the University of Colorado regents should have publicly disclosed the names and applications of all six candidates interviewed for the president’s job that went to Mark Kennedy in 2019.