Michael Karlik

Colorado's district court appoints Peter McNeilly as US attorney Colorado's federal trial court took the unusual step last week of appointing Peter McNeilly as the state's top federal prosecutor, who may hold that position until a presidentially nominated and U.S. ...

Colorado's district court has appointed Peter McNeilly as U.S. attorney. AG Pam Bondi originally appointed McNeilly this summer for a 120-day window, but the judicial appointment means he'll serve until the president nominates and Senate confirms someone:
www.coloradopolitics.com/2025/10/09/c...

Federal judge dismisses lawsuit against Olympic SafeSport over misconduct-related restrictions A federal judge last month dismissed a lawsuit against the Colorado-based U.S. Center for SafeSport, brought by a Florida businessman who disputed the center's ability to impose misconduct-related res...

A federal judge decided a man can't sue the Olympic Center for SafeSport for unilaterally placing misconduct-related restrictions on him, as the law doesn't allow for such lawsuits:
www.coloradopolitics.com/2025/10/09/f...

I'm at the scene where ICE abducted multiple people from Lincoln and Foster this morning.

A WGN producer was among the people taken, allegedly because she was among a group of bystanders who tried to intervene. ICE agents hit this car while making their getaway.

This is wrong. "Due Process" is not specific set of things that applies in criminal prosecutions .

It is just "what is the process the govt is required to go through to be able take a certain action against a person."

So yes, criminal due process is different from deportation due process.

Federal judge finds fire chief violated due process rights of ex-employee in Boulder-Weld district A federal judge concluded last week that the chief of a fire protection district spanning Boulder and Weld counties violated the constitutional rights of an employee by terminating him through a proce...

A fire district employee got upset about a new hire's faith-based request to not have a flag on his safety gear (which didn't have a flag to begin with). The employee was fired for insubordination. A federal judge found his termination violated due process:
www.coloradopolitics.com/2025/10/08/f...

Colorado's Federalist Society chapter is hosting John Eastman next week, who was the legal achitect of the plan to reject the 2020 election results and, so far as I know, isn't allowed to practice in Colorado's federal court (www.coloradopolitics.com/2024/04/29/f...). The event is closed to media.

Judge Gordon Gallagher

Judge Gordon Gallagher told the DOJ last week he wouldn’t extend the deadline to respond to a noncitizen’s challenge to his immigration detention due to the govt. shutdown.

“The Government is constitutionally obligated to provide due process,” he wrote.
www.coloradopolitics.com/2025/10/08/f...

Federal judge advances religious freedom claims of incarcerated amputee A federal judge concluded last month that a Muslim man serving a life sentence at Colorado's "supermax" prison may proceed with his claims that the government is violating his right to religious exerc...

A federal judge ruled that until Colorado's "supermax" prison installs an upward water stream in the cell of a Muslim man who is a double amputee and needs to clean himself before praying, it is a violation of his right to religious exercise:
www.coloradopolitics.com/2025/10/07/f...

an amicus brief asking SCOTUS to reconsider its Bivens jurisprudence, and the brief is just this video

It seemed like there was some interest in remanding for CA10 to apply strict scrutiny. Is there a chance that happens and the panel (2D-1R) finds Colorado’s law satisfies the test?

Colorado justices deliver favorable ruling for organizations raising open meetings violations The Colorado Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that organizations are entitled to the same recovery of their costs as individuals when they successfully pursue a public entity's violation of the state's ...

A win for transparency, as Colorado's justices concluded organizations are entitled to recover the costs of pursuing an open meetings violation just as individuals are. The chief justice dissented for the *sixth time* since *last month*:
www.coloradopolitics.com/2025/10/07/c...

An obligation to use AI? Federal judge addresses lawyers on responsible technology use U.S. Magistrate Judge Maritza Dominguez Braswell addressed a group of Colorado attorneys on Friday with the message that they should be practicing and understanding how to use artificial intelligence ...

Two of Colorado's judges who have become experts on AI spoke recently about the need for lawyers to practice using AI in low-stakes scenarios, and about where things are heading -- e.g. using AI to determine which jurors to dismiss from trial:
www.coloradopolitics.com/2025/10/07/a...

Colorado judges explore professionalism, ethics, AI in discussions with lawyers Members of Colorado's state and federal judiciary held a series of discussions with lawyers on Friday that touched upon attorneys' ethical obligations, the responsible use of artificial intelligence a...

State and federal judges from Colorado spoke with attorneys on Friday about various ethical scenarios, including what to do if opposing counsel misgenders a litigant, uses fake AI citations, or neglects to acknowledge precedent that cuts against them:
www.coloradopolitics.com/2025/10/06/c...

I visited the apartment building ICE raided on Tuesday today. Story to come, but you can walk right in. Half of the apartments have no doors on them. Children's stuff abandoned in some flats. *Citizen* residents told me they were arrested and held for hours in zipties. This is America

Federal judge green-lights trial for ex-Rio Grande County sheriff employee's hostile work environment claims A federal judge on Monday found a former Rio Grande County sheriff's dispatcher had not shown she was subjected to disability discrimination or was retaliated against, but that a jury would need to de...

A federal judge will allow a jury to decide whether the former Rio Grande County sheriff's allegedly racist comments and the alleged discriminatory policies against female staff rose to the level of a hostile work environment:
www.coloradopolitics.com/2025/10/03/f...

“Laurie Eckman, 84, said she and her husband Richard Eckman, also 84 and a Vietnam war veteran, were rushed by federal officers “for no apparent reason.” She said her husband was leaning on his walker and wearing his Vietnam veterans cap as he was pushed to the ground.”

Video taken one hour ago outside the Portland ICE facility of the violent insurrectionists in question

A cockatoo in an evergreen tree

At some point the weather will turn, but for now Phoebe loves being out in his tree in October 🦜🌲

Appeals court revives child abuse prosecution despite ex-DA's 'inappropriate' comments to media Colorado's second-highest court reinstated the criminal charges in a Fremont County child abuse case on Thursday, acknowledging the elected district attorney's public comments about the defendant were...

Former DA Linda Stanley made derogatory comments toward a defendant in a TV interview. A witness at her disciplinary hearing called it “egregious.” But the Court of Appeals said her inappropriate statements didn’t justify dismissal of the criminal case:
www.coloradopolitics.com/2025/10/03/a...

I spoke to a Venezuelan woman who was arrested in this raid and later released with her 4yo son. She said agents broke down their door, pointed guns at them and made sexualized remarks about Venezuelan women. When she returned to her apartment it was boarded up and all her possessions were gone.

Federal judge dismisses claim of falsified testimony against El Paso County coroner employee A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit from a man who was tried and acquitted of his girlfriend's 2021 murder, and who subsequently accused a witness of fabricating evidence to make him seem g...

A man was tried twice for murder and acquitted. He then sued the coroner for allegedly falsifying testimony at the second trial. A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit, concluding the coroner said essentially the same thing both times:
www.coloradopolitics.com/2025/10/03/f...

Appeals court reluctantly finds last-minute release of evidence by judge, prosecutor justified extension of trial deadline Colorado's second-highest court on Thursday declined to find a defendant's right to a speedy trial was violated, even as the appellate judges were disturbed that an Arapahoe County judge and prosecuto...

An Arapahoe County judge waited until two weeks before trial to order the disclosure of 31,000 files to the defense. Then, the prosecutor didn't follow through for months. The Court of Appeals found no speedy trial violation, but it wasn't pleased either:
www.coloradopolitics.com/2025/10/02/a...

MAGA’s “Voter Fraud” Watchdog Votes in a Swing State. He Doesn’t Live There. A long paper trail shows that Jack Posobiec casts a ballot in one state and lives in another.

SCOOP — Pennsylvania prosecutors were alerted to possible voting irregularities by one of MAGA's leading voices against voter fraud. A long paper trail shows Jack Posobiec has been living in Maryland but voting using his parents' PA address for years.

From @jsweetli.bsky.social, @slate.com + me:

Montezuma County judge says 'imperfect decisions' do not justify disciplinary authorities' 'overreach' A Montezuma County judge responded on Monday to the allegations of misconduct against him, arguing any poor decisions he may have made did not justify his removal from office and further insisting he ...

Montezuma County Court Judge Ian MacLaren pushed back against misconduct allegations this week and maintained he didn't lie to disciplinary officials. Yet, his response to the discipline complaint contained questionable representations of the facts:
www.coloradopolitics.com/2025/10/02/m...

Appeals court agrees Lochbuie cannot challenge alleged lack of services from library district Colorado's second-highest court concluded last week that the town of Lochbuie cannot challenge the alleged lack of services its residents are receiving from a Weld County library district that has bee...

A Weld County judge correctly dismissed a lawsuit over library services, but the Court of Appeals found he went aggro on the plaintiffs because he didn't understand the arguments and misperceived them as frivolous:
www.coloradopolitics.com/2025/10/01/a...

10th Circuit clarifies when hardship to child can halt parent's deportation The Denver-based federal appeals court clarified on Monday that immigration judges, when deciding whether to halt a person's deportation because of hardship to their child, should consider whether the...

The 10th Circuit addressed what happens if a noncitizen is eligible to stay in the country due to hardship on their child, but the child is near the age cutoff. Even if the child was under 21 during the proceedings, the date of the decision is what matters:
www.coloradopolitics.com/2025/10/01/1...

10th Circuit orders resentencing after government concedes man's serious probation violation cannot stand The Denver-based appeals court granted an unusual joint request between the prosecution and the defense on Wednesday, directing a judge to resentence a man who was incorrectly found guilty of a severe...

In an unusual move, the prosecution and defense agreed a man shouldn't stand convicted of a more serious federal probation violation. While holding onto drugs beyond the prescription was a minor violation, it wasn't punishable as a crime as a judge believed:
www.coloradopolitics.com/2025/10/01/1...

ICE agents raid South Shore apartments; Trump says Chicago could become military training ground ICE agents raided a South Shore apartment building overnight as the city braces for a possible military deployment.

“ABC7 spoke to Pertissue Fisher, a woman who lives in the building. She said ICE agents took everyone in the building, including her, and asked questions later….’They was bringing the kids down, too, had them zip tied to each other.’”

It can’t happen here, you say. But it is happening.

Federal judge sides with Denver in Lisa Calderón's retaliation lawsuit A federal judge last week concluded a critic of then-Denver Mayor Michael Hancock had not shown that the termination of her city contract amounted to retaliation for her speech.

A federal judge ended Lisa Calderón's lawsuit in favor of Denver. The former mayoral candidate alleged the city terminated her contract to run a criminal justice program because she criticized the city administration. The judge didn't see a connection:
www.coloradopolitics.com/2025/09/30/f...

An ICE officer pushed a photojournalist to the ground today at immigration court at 26 Federal Plaza in NYC.

The photojournalist couldn't get up afterwards, and EMS was called.