Tag: Constitution
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Federal judge blocks Colorado law requiring social media platforms to provide warnings to children
A federal judge on Thursday blocked Colorado from implementing a requirement that social media companies notify users younger than 18 of the effects to their mental and physical health from using the platforms. Lawmakers enacted House Bill 1136 by wide margins in 2024, with a goal of providing “research-based education and interventions” about minors’ use…
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Federal judge blocks Colorado law requiring social media platforms to provide warnings to children
A federal judge blocked Colorado on Thursday from implementing a requirement that social media companies notify users younger than 18 of the effects to their mental and physical health from using the platforms. Lawmakers enacted House Bill 1136 by wide margins in 2024, with a goal of providing “research-based education and interventions” about minors’ use…
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Appeals court orders new trial after Denver judge wrongly let defendant represent self
A Denver judge incorrectly found that a defendant understood what he was doing by giving up his constitutional right to counsel, Colorado’s second-highest court concluded on Thursday in overturning the man’s assault convictions. Criminal defendants are allowed to represent themselves at trial by waiving their right to counsel. However, such a waiver must be “voluntary,…
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Appeals court reverses murder conviction after Denver judge violated public trial right
Colorado’s second-highest court reversed a defendant’s murder conviction on Thursday because a Denver judge violated his constitutional right to a public trial. Due to an unusually large jury pool at Edward R. Sandoval’s 2022 trial, Chief Judge Christopher J. Baumann did not allow observers to be present in his courtroom during jury selection. Although the…
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Appeals court reverses murder conviction after Denver judge violated public trial right
Colorado’s second-highest court reversed a defendant’s murder conviction on Thursday because a Denver judge violated his constitutional right to a public trial. Due to an unusually large jury pool at Edward R. Sandoval’s 2022 trial, Chief Judge Christopher J. Baumann did not allow observers to be present in his courtroom during jury selection. Although the…
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Appeals court declines to overturn defendant’s ‘3 strikes’ sentence
Colorado’s second-highest court concluded on Thursday that a defendant was sentenced under the state’s “three strikes” law in a manner that did not comply with the U.S. Constitution, but the mistake did not require reversal. Known as the Habitual Criminal Act, Colorado’s law requires judges to impose three or four times the maximum sentence if a…
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10th Circuit rejects assortment of legal theories challenging workplace vaccine mandates
The Denver-based federal appeals court rejected an array of legal theories on Tuesday that challenged employers’ ability to impose COVID-19 vaccination requirements under the U.S. Constitution, laws governing emergency drug authorizations and the rules for human experimentation. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit followed in the footsteps of…
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Judge orders noncitizen released from immigration detention, finds government misapplied law
A federal judge concluded the government was likely wrong to detain a noncitizen without the chance for a release hearing, and ordered him to be let out of immigration custody on Friday. At the same time, U.S. District Court Judge Regina M. Rodriguez declined to green-light Nestor Esai Mendoza Gutierrez’s request to turn his lawsuit…
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Federal judge dismisses lawsuit against Olympic SafeSport over misconduct-related restrictions
A federal judge last month dismissed a lawsuit against the Colorado-based U.S. Center for SafeSport, brought by a Florida businessman who disputed the center’s ability to impose misconduct-related restrictions on him. Derek Strine owns an equestrian event facility that is used for developing horses into Olympic competitors. He is a member of the U.S. Equestrian…
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Federal judge finds fire chief violated due process rights of ex-employee in Boulder-Weld district
A federal judge concluded last week that the chief of a fire protection district spanning Boulder and Weld counties violated the constitutional rights of an employee by terminating him through a process that lacked sufficient procedural protections. However, U.S. District Court Chief Judge Philip A. Brimmer also determined plaintiff Benjamin Carter could not prevail on…