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HB 1096 asks local governments to adopt ‘instant permitting’ for residential solar projects
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Law Week Colorado, State

HB 1096 asks local governments to adopt ‘instant permitting’ for residential solar projects

By Michael Rummel | Law Week Colorado A bill that would require local municipalities and counties in Colorado to implement an automated permitting process for residential solar panel installation passed its first committee hearing, but several of the aye votes for the measure came with reservations.  House Bill 25-1096, dubbed “Automated Permits for Clean Energy Technology,” was brought to the Colorado House Energy and Environment Committee by Democratic Reps. Lesley Smith and Kyle Brown. It has one prime sponsor on the Colorado Senate side, Democratic Sen. Matt Ball.  “HB-1096 seeks to remove the red tape to help Colorado reach its climate goals by asking local governments to adopt instant permitting solutions for residential solar projects,” Brown said in the hearing. “In 2...
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Old laws impede energy transition efforts on public lands
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Law Week Colorado, State

Old laws impede energy transition efforts on public lands

By Michael Rummel | Law Week Colorado The transition to renewable energy is a major focus of the state of Colorado and a number of states across the country, but as Tommy Beaudreau explained to a full classroom at the University of Colorado Law School and around 150 online attendees, the work to complete it isn’t completely straightforward.  READ THE FULL STORY AT LAW WEEK COLORADO
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10th Circuit affirms qualified immunity for officer involved in Lakewood shooting
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Law Week Colorado, Local

10th Circuit affirms qualified immunity for officer involved in Lakewood shooting

By Law Week Colorado Jason Waterhouse was high on methamphetamine and acting destructively in his sister’s home, according to the opinion. By the time Lakewood Police Department officers arrived, he had barricaded himself in the basement.  Officers tried for more than an hour to get him to come out, but, rather than cooperating, Waterhouse started a fire. Seven officers went down to the basement to try and find the source of the fire and extricate Waterhouse. They saw him shoving a large stick through the wall before slamming the bedroom door shut. It quickly became apparent that the fire and the smoke were more serious than the officers had anticipated, and they were ordered to evacuate.  READ THE FULL STORY AT LAW WEEK COLORADO
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Lawmakers introduce a bill to repeal Open Meetings Law shield for General Assembly
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Law Week Colorado, State

Lawmakers introduce a bill to repeal Open Meetings Law shield for General Assembly

By Law Week Colorado Last week, two Republican lawmakers in the Colorado House of Representatives introduced a bill aimed at government transparency laws. The measure would repeal a portion of Senate Bill 24-157, which was passed last year amid opposition from transparency advocates and organizations.  READ THE FULL STORY AT LAW WEEK COLORADO
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When the utilities lobby received an icy reception from Colorado state senators
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Law Week Colorado, State

When the utilities lobby received an icy reception from Colorado state senators

By Michael Rummel | LawWeekColorado.com While lobbyists have always been a fairly regular fixture at the Colorado General Assembly, there have been moments in Colorado history when their presence wasn’t appreciated. Late January 1957 was one of those moments.  Improvements in transmission technology had made power generation using natural gas a more economic and feasible option following World War II. The 1950s also saw a rise in the production of natural gas in the Denver Basin, adding to the existing natural gas developments on the Western Slope.  These factors led to a rise in interest from municipalities in pursuing natural gas power plants for their citizens. But an issue arose when Rocky Ford attempted to build one. According to a Rocky Mountain News article from the ti...
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These are the employment laws for employers to look out for in 2025
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Law Week Colorado, State

These are the employment laws for employers to look out for in 2025

By Michael Rummel | Law Week Colorado As the books close on another year, employers face a landscape rife with potential change. A new administration could mean major shifts in regulation at the federal level, and locally the Colorado General Assembly will have to reckon with a significant budget gap and a large drop in the state’s economic growth, according to the business research division at the University of Colorado’s Leeds School of Business in Boulder, Colorado.  READ THE FULL STORY AT LAW WEEK COLORADO
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A Colorado Court Case that Strengthened Due Process Rights
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Law Week Colorado, State

A Colorado Court Case that Strengthened Due Process Rights

By Michael Rummel | Law Week Colorado In 1959, 14-year-old Bobby Gallegos was convicted of first-degree murder in Colorado. According to the U.S. Supreme Court opinion in Gallegos v. Colorado, the child and another juvenile tricked an elderly man into letting them into his hotel room, where they assaulted him, stole $13 from him and fled.  Less than 2 weeks later, Gallegos was caught by police and admitted to the assault and robbery. Just a few weeks after that, he was convicted in a juvenile court of “assault to injure.”  After his sentencing, the elderly man he assaulted died, which led to Gallegos being tried in state court—for first-degree murder.  READ THE FULL STORY AT LAW WEEK COLORADO
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In 10th Circuit, Wendy’s too slow, Costilla septic case dismissed, Overstock short selling
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Law Week Colorado, State

In 10th Circuit, Wendy’s too slow, Costilla septic case dismissed, Overstock short selling

By Law Week Colorado Seeking unpaid wages for himself and other class members, Jeffrey Little filed a putative class action against Wendy’s International LLC in Colorado state court.  Wendy’s removed the action to federal court, relying on the removal provisions of the Class Action Fairness Act.  But the district court held that Wendy’s had failed to file its removal motion within the applicable 30-day removal period. It therefore granted Little’s motion to remand the action to state court.  READ THE FULL STORY AT LAW WEEK COLORADO
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Colorado River Basin’s largest users look to conservation strategies, while negotiators work on future
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Law Week Colorado, Local

Colorado River Basin’s largest users look to conservation strategies, while negotiators work on future

By Michael Rummel | Law Week Colorado While water may cover 71% of the Earth’s surface, it’s frequently been in short supply in Colorado and across the West. As the climate changes and the Colorado River Basin sees dry days ahead, negotiators from the states that share its water and the Native Americans who have used it for centuries are hard at work to create a sustainable framework for the basin’s future.  As the negotiators try to close the distance between the many competing demands for one of the most precious resources in the West, representatives from some of the basin’s largest water users, agriculture, ranching and municipalities, met at the 2024 Getches-Wilkinson Center and the Water & Tribes Initiative’s Conference on the Colorado River to disc...
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10th Circuit rules Sedgwick County liable for former Sheriff Hanna’s alleged assault of an inmate
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Law Week Colorado, State

10th Circuit rules Sedgwick County liable for former Sheriff Hanna’s alleged assault of an inmate

By Law Week Sheriff Thomas Hanna of Sedgwick County, Colo., allegedly sexually assaulted an intellectually disabled prisoner while transporting her between county jails.  The victim, Peatinna Biggs, filed this civil rights suit through her guardian ad litem, Hollis Ann Whitson, against Sedgwick County, the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Department and Hanna in his individual and official capacities.  The district court granted the motion of the county and the sheriff’s department to dismiss the complaint against them, reasoning that the county could be liable only if “the challenged conduct [had] been taken pursuant to a policy adopted by the official or officials,” and “Hanna’s actions were not pursuant to Department policies, but in direct contravention of them.”  Hanna was t...
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