Tag: first amendment
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Federal judge green-lights lawsuit for trial by man arrested for recording Denver police station
A jury will decide whether two Denver police officers violated a man’s First Amendment rights when they arrested him for recording at a police station, a federal judge ruled on Monday. There was no dispute that a sign was posted on the window of the District 5 station in northeast Denver prohibiting video recording “in”…
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Federal judge finds no constitutional violation of inmate’s right to religious diet
A federal judge ended a 5-year-old lawsuit against the state last week by agreeing an incarcerated man had not shown the religious diet served to him in prison violated his rights. Russell M. Boles in 2019 sued the Colorado Department of Corrections, the food service administrator and a rabbi contracted to consult about kosher diets…
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Federal judge dismisses Denver parent’s lawsuit seeking to put ‘straight pride’ flag in classrooms
A federal judge on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit from a Denver Public Schools parent who sought to force the district to honor his request to display “straight pride” flags in his children’s classrooms. Nathan Feldman brought suit on behalf of himself and his two children, alleging discrimination and a violation of the First Amendment stemming…
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Federal judge green-lights another lawsuit for trial over Denver’s response to 2020 protests
Another federal judge cleared the way last week for a jury to decide whether Denver and one of its officers violated the constitutional rights of 14 protesters during the summer of 2020. U.S. District Court Judge S. Kato Crews concluded the plaintiffs offered sufficient evidence for jurors to find they were exercising their First Amendment…
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By 2-1, 10th Circuit rejects request to block Colorado’s conversion therapy ban
Colorado’s 2019 ban on the provision of “conversion therapy” for LGBTQ children will remain in effect after the federal appeals court based in Denver declined on Thursday to block the law on constitutional grounds. Kaley Chiles, a licensed counselor in Colorado Springs, alleged the law violated her First Amendment rights and sought a preliminary injunction.…
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10th Circuit partially reinstates religious discrimination lawsuit of ex-Douglas County schools administrator
A former high school administrator may pursue his claims of religious discrimination against the Douglas County School District, the federal appeals court based in Denver ruled on Tuesday. Corey McNellis worked at Ponderosa High School for 14 years and was the athletic director and assistant principal at the time of his termination in October 2020. According…
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10th Circuit dismisses constitutional challenge to Colorado’s charitable solicitation law
The federal appeals court based in Denver dismissed a constitutional challenge to a portion of Colorado’s law governing paid nonprofit solicitors, determining on Friday that the lawsuit against Secretary of State Jena Griswold was now moot. Colorado’s legislature enacted the Charitable Solicitations Act after finding fraudulent solicitations on behalf of charities were a “widespread practice”…
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Federal judge green-lights 2020 protesters’ lawsuit against Denver
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. In the years since a Minneapolis police officer killed George Floyd in May 2020, sparking international demonstrations, plaintiffs injured in the Denver…
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Colorado justices explore limits of anti-discrimination law in Masterpiece Cakeshop appeal
Members of the Colorado Supreme Court explored on Tuesday the tension between LGBTQ customers’ ability to be free from discrimination in the marketplace and business owners’ competing right not to be forced to express messages that violate their conscience. During oral arguments, some justices noted the difficulty of disentangling customers’ protected characteristics, like race or…
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Appeals court orders new trial in stalking case a year after U.S. Supreme Court finds flaw
Colorado’s second-highest court on Thursday ordered a new trial in the Arapahoe County stalking case that went all the way to the nation’s highest court and resulted in a new burden for prosecutors seeking to convict alleged stalkers based on their communications. Last year, by 7-2, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its ruling in Counterman…