Several key rulings in 2023 showed why courts matter so much for enforcing and interpreting Colorado’s open government laws.
On October 30, 2023, a Colorado state court judge determined that two Denver city officials had improperly withheld public records from a TV reporter when they refused to disclose text messages stored on their personal cellphones in which they discussed the city’s public business.
A judge ordered Denver to disclose city officials’ text messages about last June’s severe hailstorm at Red Rocks Amphitheater, ruling the communications were improperly withheld from 9NEWS reporter Steve Staeger.
Rejecting the argument of a trauma surgeon’s lawyers, a judge ruled that a 2018 state law limits the scope of Denver Health and Hospital Authority records subject to disclosure under the Colorado Open Records Act.
