Justice
Colorado bill requiring bond hearings to be set within 48 hours of arrest moves forward
Michelle Reynolds was held in jail for 15 days, six hours and 23 minutes before she was able to see a judge. She was arrested on Aug. 23, 2019, in Mesa County after being pulled over for speeding while rushing to get to her niece’s first high school volleyball game. “The arresting officer was extremely […]
Attempts to ban teaching on ‘critical race theory’ multiply across the U.S.
WASHINGTON — From statehouses to Congress, Republicans have launched into a fight against the teaching of “critical race theory,” which just a year ago was a niche academic term. Experts in critical race theory say it’s about acknowledging how racial disparities are embedded in U.S history and society, and the concept is being mischaracterized by […]
Colorado Democrats rebranded their jail depopulation bill. Here’s what’s changed.
Jonathan Cespedes believes that his mother, Susan, would still be alive today if she’d been allowed to be released on bond instead of awaiting trial in the El Paso County jail for an alleged financial crime committed in another state. The 55-year-old woman died in 2019 after trying to seek medical attention from jail staff […]
Poor People’s Campaign calls for ‘Third Reconstruction’ in America
“Poor People’s Campaign push for ‘Third Reconstruction’ in America” first appeared in the Wisconsin Examiner. “This is the real question — what is the cost of inequality,” said Rev. Dr. William Barber during a press conference alongside members of Congress on Thursday in Washington D.C. to unveil a resolution calling for a “Third Reconstruction” to […]
Agricultural workers’ rights bill passes major test with Senate vote despite industry opposition
For farmworker advocates, a dairy employee’s death in Weld County looms large in the ongoing debate over controversial legislation that aims to extend labor protections to Colorado agriculture. Juan Panzo Temoxtle had been working at Shelton Dairy in LaSalle for less than six weeks when on March 30 he spent his first day behind the […]
U.S. House condemns Atlanta shootings and Asian American racism
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House on Wednesday passed a resolution condemning the March 16 mass shooting in Atlanta and reaffirming Congress’ commitment to combating racism and violence against the Asian American community, which has seen a spike in hate crimes since the onset of the pandemic. The resolution, H.Res. 275, passed, 244-180, though more than a […]
Your constitutional right to abortion could end next June
For almost 50 years — since the Supreme Court’s 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade — abortion has been a constitutional right in this country. That could end in June 2022. On Monday, the Supreme Court announced it will hear Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, a challenge to Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban. This case could […]
Cities, counties could craft stricter gun policies under Colorado bill up for Senate vote
The March 22 mass shooting in Boulder, followed by another massacre weeks later in Colorado Springs, brought new urgency to Colorado Democrats’ gun policy plans. Senate Bill 21-256 — sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Steve Fenberg of Boulder and Sen. Dominick Moreno of Commerce City, along with Reps. Edie Hooton of Boulder and Lindsey Daugherty […]
Ketamine bill restricting use by first responders advances in Colorado Legislature
During last summer’s widespread demonstrations for racial justice, one name that protesters chanted among those of Black people killed by police became a rallying cry at the state Legislature for a specific policy change. Elijah McClain, 23, died in August 2019 after Aurora Police Department officers — responding to a 911 call about someone looking […]
Colorado’s ambitious tenant rights bill has been whittled down by industry groups. Here’s where it stands.
An ambitious tenant rights bill that was introduced in Colorado’s Legislature this year has been significantly whittled down by landlord industry groups. Senate Bill 21-173, as introduced, sought to permanently strengthen legal protections for renters by putting substantial limits on how much a landlord can charge in rental late fees, extending the grace period for […]
Hundreds rally in support of Palestinians at Colorado Capitol
Hundreds of people rallied and marched in Denver on Friday to show their support for Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank and harshly condemn the actions of Israel and the United States as violence in the region continued to escalate. “We feel this anger in our bones,” said state Rep. Iman Jodeh, a Democrat […]
Law enforcement officials from Pennsylvania, Maryland urge action against rising numbers of ‘ghost guns’
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has promised a crackdown on so-called “ghost guns,” and during a U.S. Senate hearing Tuesday, law enforcement officials from Pennsylvania and Maryland described how an exponential increase in those firearms — which are easily assembled from kits and not subject to federal gun laws — has expanded the workload of their […]