Tag: Public Defender
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‘We all have to take care of each other’: Appeals judges get personal in Jeffco high school appearance
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Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Three members of the Court of Appeals fielded questions from Jefferson County students on Thursday about the personal aspects of judging, including how they combat their biases and how the cases they hear affect their mental health. Judge Lino S. Lipinsky de Orlov responded that…
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DNA scandal leads to plea deal that frees Colorado murder suspect from custody
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Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save A suspect in a decades-old murder and rape in Weld County could be released from jail as early as Friday after the district attorney there “very reluctantly” agreed to a plea agreement because key DNA evidence in the case was compromised by an embattled Colorado…
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Audit: Colorado public defender’s office has high workloads, must study staffing
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Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save A large percentage of public defenders are working hours that exceed recommended standards, the state auditor’s office found in a recent report, and corrective measures are needed to ensure adequate representation for the criminally accused. The auditor’s report noted that since its last study of…
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Cyberattack disables Colorado public defender office’s network
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A malware attack on the state public defender’s computer system last week has resulted in the disabling of the office’s network, the office confirmed on Monday. A spokesperson for the Judicial Department said the courts themselves were not affected by the cyberattack. “As a preventative measure, we temporarily disabled our computer network and are working…
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Denver judge forced man to choose between right to attorney, speedy trial, appeals court says
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Colorado’s second-highest court last week reversed a man’s convictions after finding a Denver judge forced him to choose between postponing his jury trial if he wanted a lawyer or continuing to trial as scheduled, but with no attorney. Aurelio DeSantiago opted to represent himself and a jury convicted him of multiple assault charges. He received…
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Prosecutors, defense lawyers blindsided by new ‘reasonable doubt’ instruction
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Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Colorado’s prosecutors and criminal defense attorneys were caught off guard on Friday by a small judicial committee’s quiet change to the longstanding definition of “beyond a reasonable doubt” in the template instructions for jury trials. While prosecutors appeared cautiously supportive of the rewrite, defense lawyers…