a rare glimpse into colorado judicial misconduct

Today, we’re very thankful for the judge who filed a complaint with the top lawyer in the Colorado Judicial Department instead of the Colorado Commission on Judicial Discipline.
 
We’re also thankful to The Denver Post reporter who wrote this story.
 
Together, they’ve put a spotlight on problems in Colorado’s judicial branch. And it ain’t pretty.
 
Sexual harassment, false imprisonment and retaliation are just a part of the unseemly conduct surfacing out of Adams County. Judges in the county are actually afraid of other judges.
 
Imagine that. Some judges are actually realizing that judicial power in the hands of the wrong individual(s) is frightening. And they’re realizing Colorado’s system protects bad judges.
 
But unfortunately, the story has a troubling twist.
 
This story is being reported because the complaint was filed with a lawyer in the judicial department and not with the Colorado Commission on Judicial Discipline. The judicial department doesn’t want that to happen again. As the story relates:
 
“A department memo circulated among judges statewide in late October now requires all complaints by any judge regarding another judge be filed with the Colorado Commission on Judicial Discipline within the state Supreme Court.”
 
The reason for the memo is because all proceedings before the discipline commission are confidential and not public. If the judge had filed her complaint with the discipline commission, we wouldn’t have this story because it would all be covered up.
 
Colorado’s system protects bad judges. This case involves sexual harassment. Bill Cosby and Harvey Weinstein would never have been prosecuted if they were Colorado state court judges.
 
So this story shows why Colorado must make judicial discipline proceedings public, like they are in 34 states. The American Bar Association recommends public judicial discipline proceedings, and this story shows us why such proceedings must be public.
 
It undermines the public trust in the judiciary when the judicial branch covers up judicial misconduct.
 
And today we’re thankful that we have the right of free speech and can be a voice for change. But as the story clearly relates, judges retaliate.
 
Members of the legal community must come together and speak up for change.
 
If you haven’t done so already, please sign our petition to support public judicial discipline proceedings in Colorado.
 
Happy Thanksgiving!

---