Tag: jefferson county
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Appeals court finds no illegal sentence when defendants forfeit time-served credit
Colorado’s second-highest court ruled on Thursday that criminal defendants may agree to relinquish the credits they earned while incarcerated pending trial, despite a state law guaranteeing that such time “shall be deducted” from a person’s sentence. Kerry Ellis Endsley pleaded guilty in Jefferson County to attempted murder and attempt to disarm a peace officer. His…
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Colorado lawmakers seek faster warrant response from social media firms
Proponents argue legislation would prevent school shootings Colorado officials on Monday claimed that the Evergreen High School shooting could have been prevented if social media companies had been required to respond faster to warrants — and they are pushing legislation at the state and federal levels to speed up that process. Current laws allow social…
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Christopher Zenisek, trial judge experienced with high-profile cases | SUPREME COURT FINALISTS
After the Marshall fire burned through Boulder County in the final days of 2021 and wound up destroying more than 1,000 homes, the sprawling 4,000-plaintiff litigation was assigned to District Court Judge Christopher Zenisek of Jefferson County. Zenisek would go on to issue more than 100 orders, hold dozens of hearings and, ultimately, much of…
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10th Circuit rebuffs Jeffco’s attempt to expand immunity footprint
The Denver-based federal appeals court confirmed on Wednesday that it would not treat a judge’s decision to move a civil case forward as the automatic equivalent of denying immunity to governmental officials. The order from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit came one month after a trial judge deemed Jefferson County’s appeal…
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Colorado Supreme Court to hear cases on witness retaliation, slip-and-fall
The Colorado Supreme Court announced on Monday that it will decide whether defendants can be convicted of retaliating against a victim or witness when that person has not yet testified and is not scheduled to testify. At least three of the court’s seven members must agree to hear a case on appeal. There is currently…
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Colorado justices clarify procedure for defendants to access DNA analyst’s criminal file
The Colorado Supreme Court ruled on Monday that trial judges may order Jefferson County prosecutors to disclose information related to the criminal prosecution of a DNA analyst accused of misconduct, but defendants seeking those files cannot rely on the order alone to gain access. Yvonne “Missy” Woods is a former Colorado Bureau of Investigation DNA…
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Colorado Supreme Court reverses Jeffco judge’s order for fender-bender plaintiff to undergo mental evaluation
The Colorado Supreme Court concluded on Monday that a Jefferson County judge improperly ordered a plaintiff in a personal injury case to sit for a mental health examination after the defendant’s experts suggested her injuries were actually psychological. The justices sided with plaintiff Spring Charlson, whose attorneys warned against allowing defense attorneys to delve into…
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Appeals court clarifies framework for parents’ First Amendment rights in child-naming disputes
Colorado’s second-highest court overturned a Jefferson County judge’s order last week in a long-running dispute about whether two ex-spouses must call their child by his first name or middle name outside the home. In doing so, a three-judge Court of Appeals panel clarified that the standard for restricting a parent’s free speech rights is a…
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JeffCo SWAT member resigns after drinking before Evergreen High School shooting response
A Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team leader resigned after admitting to being intoxicated during the Evergreen High School shooting in September. Sgt. Anthony Hamilton resigned from the department on Thursday after he admitted that he drank “the better part of a 12 pack” of beer starting around 6:30 a.m. Sept. 10, the day a…
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‘Utterly no precedent’: Federal judge expresses concerns about Jeffco’s early appeal in jail death case
A federal judge shared his concerns on Monday about Jefferson County’s appeal of a routine procedural order in a constitutional rights case, which the plaintiffs argued could spawn appeal-related delays in countless lawsuits against the government. During a hearing, U.S. District Court Judge S. Kato Crews noted he could find no decisions backing up the…