Judicial & Legislative News
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Excerpt:
Courthouse Operations: The El Paso County and Teller County Courthouses will be closed to the public effective November 25, 2020 through January 8th, 2021, EXCEPT as set forth in Section 6 of this Order.
2. ALL COURTROOM PROCEEDINGS shall occur by Webex or telephone, except as set forth in Section 6 of this order.
Order 2020-31 RE Jury Trials
Order Excerpt: "...Pursuant to Chief Justice Directive 95-01 (Authority and Responsibility of Chief Judges) and in compliance with the Updated Order issued by the Chief Justice on July 24, 2020, I hereby suspend all jury trials that are currently scheduled to begin on or before January 8, 2021. This Order is also premised on the COVID-19 orders previously issued by federal, state, and local authorities.
This order does not apply to any ongoing jury trials, which continue to employ extraordinary measures to ensure the safety of all courtroom participants.
The Supreme Court Nominating Commission has nominated three candidates for a vacancy on the Colorado Supreme Court. The vacancy was created by the retirement of the Hon. Nathan B. Coats, effective Jan. 22, 2021.
See Full Announcement
DENVER – The Colorado Supreme Court has announced that the February 2021 bar examination will be administered remotely rather than in-person in response to increasing COVID-19 infection rates in Colorado, which may continue to rise this winter.
The exam, which will be held in most states February 23 and 24, will be the first time the content of a Uniform Bar Exam has been available for remote testing. February bar applicants will be able to take both days of the exam on-line through a computer with video capability and an internet or wi-fi connection.
RE: Release of Non-VRA Misdemeanor and Non-DUI/DWAI Defendants
See Order
The State of Colorado has a commission that disseminates reports on the question of judicial retention and it's online! You can find the 2020 retention recommendations here: http://www.coloradojudicialperformance.gov/retentionlist.cfm?year=2020&county=El%20Paso
Click on the name of each judge to see the recommendation and report.
The commission is made up of both lawyers an citizens. For more information on becoming a commissioner or for current opportunities, click here. Diverse candidates are highly encouraged to apply.
Governor to appoint new county court judge
The Fourth Judicial District Nominating Commission has nominated three candidates for an El Paso County court judgeship created by the retirement of the Hon. Karla J. Hansen, effective Dec. 11, 2020. Nominees Yolanda Fennick of Colorado Springs, Brian Fields of Black Forest and Dennis McGuire of Colorado Springs were selected in a videoconference meeting on Sept. 2, 2020.
Under the Colorado Constitution, the governor has 15 days from Sept. 2, 2020, within which to appoint one of the nominees as county court judge for El Paso County.
Comments regarding any of the nominees may be sent via e-mail to the governor at
gov_judicialappointments@state.co.us
Editor’s Note: Contact information for the three nominees
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Effective August 31, 2020
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(Corrected for changes RE WebEx participation information for bonded advisements)