Author: By George Brauchler
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COLUMN: Trump fiasco mocks rule of law | George Brauchler
The recent indictment of Donald Trump represents the greatest potential risk to the criminal justice system and the rule of law in our lifetimes, and there is no easy way to avoid long-term damage. This is the proverbial “damned if we do, damned if we don’t” scenario. Admittedly, my perspective — my bias — is…
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Jared Polis — Colorado’s pardoner in chief | BRAUCHLER
Last Thursday, Gov. Jared Polis used his sweeping, unassailable constitutional clemency powers to cut short the sentences of four convicted felons, and he wiped away the conviction of 20 others. Polis’s perennial pruning of the prison population continues to create controversy. Here, the standard set by Polis will work only to the advantage of convicted…
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Bracing for a Club Q insanity defense | BRAUCHLER
A mass murderer apprehended at the scene of the crime with his guns has only one possible escape from the greatest sanction available under our law: “I’m nuts.” The Club Q mass shooter is a prime candidate to plead not guilty by reason of insanity (NGRI). The facts as known do not lend themselves to…
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Every case is unique; so is its prosecution | BRAUCHLER
Editor’s note: On Thursday, Anderson Aldrich’s 2021 bomb threat case was unsealed by an El Paso County judge and Fourth Judicial District Attorney Michael Allen commented on the 2021 case. Allen said two guns were recovered by law enforcement at the 2021 incident, including a handgun described as a “ghost gun” and a MM-15 5.56…
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Bluer legislature will go even softer on crime | BRAUCHLER
Coloradans have created one of the most politically lopsided General Assemblies in our history. Although unadvertised during the recent election, the result will be a progressive legislature whose offender-friendly will cannot be denied, but whose appetite can be predicted. For the ongoing disassembly of what remains of our weakened criminal justice system, past is prologue.…
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BRAUCHLER | AG Weiser tainted by his targets’ contributions
George Brauchler Attorney General Phil Weiser is the chair of the Attorney General’s Alliance, an organization that solicits and accepts millions of dollars in contributions from the very corporations he chooses whether to investigate, sue or settle with. He led a “conference” at the lavish $1,500-per-night “Grand Wailea, a Waldorf Astoria Resort” in Maui, funded…
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BRAUCHLER | Colorado’s judges are picked, and serve, in the dark
George Brauchler What are you doing about judges? I get that question every day after ballots arrive. It is no surprise that regular Coloradans struggle with how to cast their votes for an entire branch of government. The most challenging portion of the ballot you have received (and perhaps have already voted) governs the least…
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BRAUCHLER | A troubling turn in Colorado’s jury selection
George Brauchler At a time of an undeniable crime tsunami in Colorado, several progressive attorneys and judges are seeking to dramatically change our criminal trials by injecting “wokeness” into the jury-selection process. It tortures the law and undermines the integrity of our justice system. Currently, a prospective juror can be removed (or “struck”) from a…
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BRAUCHLER | AG Weiser’s word choice sidesteps candor
George Brauchler During this election cycle, we have been told that everything from reproductive rights to democracy itself is on the ballot. In the attorney general’s race, one issue is on the ballot that stands out above all others: truth. It is apparent that current AG Phil Weiser recognizes that his public positions and advocacy…
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BRAUCHLER | Jared Polis changes his tune
George Brauchler This is the tale of Colorado’s unmitigated car theft epidemic and how it is addressed by two politicians: mid-term Gov. Jared Polis and election-year candidate Polis. In 2019, despite property and violent crime rates that had been on the upward march for much of the past decade and a crime rating in the…