Colorado Politics

 Colorado Supreme Court upholds police search of car based on arm movements

The Colorado Supreme Court decided last week that Denver officers’ search of a vehicle was constitutional, based on their perception of the occupants’ arm movements that a trial judge found to not be credible. Officers Keegan Grubb and Richard Eberharter...

 Flat or graduated income tax? Colorado groups push dueling measures for November election

Colorado voters could face two opposing income-tax measures on the November ballot, with the dueling campaigns seeking to advance proposals that would take the state in sharply different fiscal directions. One initiative seeks to replace Colorado’s flat income tax with...

 10th Circuit tosses Pueblo County sheriff defendants’ appeal in fatal shooting lawsuit

The Denver-based federal appeals court rejected an attempt from Pueblo County sheriff’s employees on Wednesday to rely on their own version of the facts to escape liability for fatally shooting an unarmed man outside a middle school. A trial judge...

 Backers of Colorado road-funding initiative reject withdrawal deadline, negotiations with lawmakers continue

The standoff over Colorado’s road‑funding initiative will continue after supporters declined state lawmakers’ request to withdraw the measure, while both sides signaled they are still willing to pursue a broader agreement ahead of the fall deadline. Initiative No. 175, backed...

 US primed for summer of unpredictable gas prices as Iran war rages on: ‘Living this uncertainty’

The war with Iran has made summer gas prices unpredictable, as President Donald Trump’s shifting messaging on hostilities keeps the energy markets in limbo.  There’s little concrete direction on where gas prices could go in the coming months, an expert...

 USPS proposes changes to mail-in ballots in states that don’t hand over voter rolls

The Postal Service proposed a new rule pushing states to turn over their mail-in and absentee voter rolls to the agency, a move in line with President Donald Trump’s March executive order tightening regulations on mail-in voting in federal elections....

 Colorado justices uphold strict interpretation of consumer protection law against debt collector

The Colorado Supreme Court concluded last month that a debt collector failed to comply with state law by suing a woman for an unpaid credit card debt without documentation that it owned her account. Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC filed a...

 The Latest: US military launches strikes against Iran in response to downing of American helicopter

The U.S. military announced that it has begun strikes against Iran following the crash of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter off the coast of Oman. In a statement posted to social media, U.S. Central Command said the strikes would be...

 Colorado governor signs bill requiring pollution controls, cost reporting for extended coal operations

Gov. Jared Polis signed into law a bill in reaction to orders from the U.S. Department of Energy to keep older coal units online. The federal government’s instructions applied to Craig Unit 1 in Colorado, one of five coal units...

 Mental Health Colorado names 2026 legislators of the year

Six state lawmakers have received recognition from the advocacy organization Mental Health Colorado for their work during the 2026 legislative session. “Mental Health Colorado’s work to pass laws, change practices, and build a movement depends on courageous advocates and bipartisan...

 Colorado justices say judges can nearly eliminate parenting time without it being a ‘restriction’

The Colorado Supreme Court concluded last month that judges can reduce the number of days a parent spends with their child post-divorce to just above zero without it rising to the level of a “restriction” that requires more rigorous justification...

 Geo Group sues Colorado over new immigration detention facility inspection law

The private prison company that operates the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement center in Aurora has filed a lawsuit against Colorado to stop the enforcement of a new law requiring additional health and safety inspections of immigration detention facilities. The...

 Trump will get another pick on influential federal appeals court

President Donald Trump will have the opportunity to nominate another judge to a key federal appeals court after one of the judges announced this week that he would take senior status. Circuit Judge Kurt Engelhardt, who was nominated to the...

 Senate GOP cool to House push for third party-line budget bill: ‘Really not an option’

Senate Republicans are unlikely to take up a third budget reconciliation bill to advance more of President Donald Trump’s agenda. The development is sure to be unwelcome news for their counterparts in the House, who have advocated a third bill....

 Cigna to pull out of individual health market, affecting thousands in Colorado

Another firm is withdrawing from the individual health insurance market, including for Colorado, effective Jan. 1, 2027. The move by Cigna Healthcare is part of the company’s overall plan to withdraw entirely from the Affordable Care Act market. It will...

 Trump vows US response after confirming Iran shot down Apache helicopter

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Iran shot down an American Apache attack helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz Monday night, and that the United States would respond to the attack. Trump has fought to hold together a fragile ceasefire...

 Colorado Springs may be sued for faulty intersection, state Supreme Court rules

The Colorado Supreme Court decided last month that Colorado Springs can be sued over a collision that occurred as a result of traffic lights that were functioning normally in one direction, but were inoperative in the perpendicular direction. The question...

 Internal appeals of parole revocation must come before judicial review, Colorado justices conclude

The Colorado Supreme Court ruled last month that criminal defendants whose parole is revoked must appeal the decision internally to the state’s parole board before seeking review by a judge. The process for returning someone to incarceration for violating the...

 Aurora council votes to require periodic detention center inspections

The Aurora City Council moved forward with ordinances Monday requiring periodic inspections of and more regulated disease reporting from detention facilities in the city, including the GEO Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility. Both ordinances, sponsored by Councilmember Gianina Horton, passed...

 Sparks fly in debate between Democrats in Colorado’s 8th CD primary

The two Democrats running for the chance to take on the Republican incumbent in Colorado’s most competitive congressional district traded blows during a feisty televised debate Monday night, sparring over their approaches to reining in the Trump administration’s immigration policies...

 Judge approves injunction for Colorado Springs counselor after SCOTUS rules in conversion therapy case

A federal judge last week blocked Colorado from enforcing its restriction on conversion therapy for LGBTQ children against a Colorado Springs counselor, after both sides agreed that the state will not pursue professional disciplinary action while the case proceeds. The...

 Trump administration investigates Cherry Creek School District for alleged racial discrimination

The U.S. Department of Education opened an investigation into Cherry Creek School District on Monday over allegations of racial discrimination. The department said its Office for Civil Rights is reviewing claims that the district violated Title VI of the Civil...

 Jena Griswold hits airwaves with 1st major ad buy in Colorado’s Democratic attorney general primary

Democratic attorney general candidate Jena Griswold plays the greatest hits from her two terms as Colorado secretary of state in her campaign’s first TV ad, which began airing Monday, the same day county clerks began sending out primary ballots. Set...

 Primary ballots hit mailboxes in high-stakes election year in Colorado

County clerks began mailing primary ballots to voters on Monday, as Colorado wades deeper into a crowded election year. Voters will face a long list of choices in both the June 30 primary and the November general election. Every major...

 Colorado Supreme Court to decide whether out-of-state defendant may be prosecuted for in-state crime

The Colorado Supreme Court recently announced that it will decide whether Douglas County prosecutors had grounds to pursue criminal charges against a woman in New York whose conduct occurred outside of Colorado. Erin Brennan and her children lived in New...

 Colorado justices, 4-2, say defendant cannot be retried after judge rejected jury’s partial acquittal

If a jury clearly indicates that it has acquitted a defendant of certain charges while remaining deadlocked on others, judges must accept that partial acquittal verdict, a divided Colorado Supreme Court ruled on Monday. Justice William W. Hood III, in...

 America 250 poll finds hope in American dream has dramatically declined in recent years

A poll released Monday found that confidence in the American dream continues to slip, as the United States marks its semiquincentennial.  The AP-NORC America 250 survey indicated 34% believe in the American dream, reinforcing a Wall Street Journal-NORC poll released...

 Government spy powers to lapse Friday unless Congress can strike deal

A key federal spy tool is at risk of sunsetting on Friday unless Congress passes an extension of the authority that allows the government to surveil foreign persons without a warrant. A Senate deal to extend Section 702 of the...

 Colorado governor nixes bills on swipe fees, suing feds and firefighter benefits

Gov. Jared Polis vetoed three bills Wednesday, rejecting measures on credit‑card swipe fees, immigration enforcement lawsuits, and firefighter cancer coverage. In doing so, the governor set a new personal record for vetoes in a single session, having now rejected 12...

 Bennet wants to be Colorado’s next governor | Cronin and Loevy

U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet is considered the front-runner in the Colorado Democratic Party primary contest for governor. His major opponent is current Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser.  The Democratic primary election is June 30. Registered Democrats and unaffiliated voters who choose to can vote in this election. Ballots are being mailed...