Colorado Supreme Court
Colorado Supreme Court| Home | Abstract | Contents | Site Map | Tables | Index | Bibliography |
| Comments? | Get Newsletter | Help the EJF |
| Chapter 9 — Colorado Judges - Citizen's Review |
| Next — Colorado Court of Appeals |
| Back — Introduction To Citizen's Review Of Colorado Judges |
The Colorado Supreme Court is the state's court of last resort. Its decisions are binding on all other Colorado state courts. The actions of this court are also tracked by the Colorado Civil Justice League.
2 East 14th Avenue, Fourth Floor
The Supreme Court is composed of seven justices who serve ten-year terms. The Chief Justice is selected from the membership of the body and serves at the pleasure of a majority of the justices. The Chief Justice also serves as the executive head of the Colorado Judicial System and is the ex-officio chair of the Supreme Court Nominating Commission. The Chief Justice appoints the Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals and the Chief Judge of each of the state's 22 judicial districts, and is vested with the authority to assign judges (active or retired) to perform judicial duties.
Requests to review decisions of the Colorado Court of Appeals constitute a majority of the Supreme Court's filings. The Supreme Court also has direct appellate jurisdiction over cases in which a statute has been held to be unconstitutional, cases involving decisions of the Public Utilities Commission, writs of habeas corpus, cases involving adjudication of water rights, summary proceedings initiated under the Election Code, and prosecutorial appeals concerning search and seizure questions in pending criminal proceedings. All of these appeals are filed directly with the Supreme Court, and, in these cases bypass the Court of Appeals. The Supreme Court also has exclusive jurisdiction to promulgate rules governing practice and procedure in civil and criminal actions.
Colorado's attorneys are licensed and disciplined by the Supreme Court. The court's attorney regulation system, funded by attorney registration fees, polices the profession. In addition, the court oversees the State Court Administrator, Board of Continuing Legal Education, Board of Law Examiners, Commission on Judicial Discipline, and Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee.
Findings and opinions are printed monthly by the Colorado Lawyer (click on month of interest then scroll down to Colorado Disciplinary Cases). The actions published are only those cases in which Disciplinary Counsel has taken formal action. To view attorney discipline involving diversion and private admonitions online you must be a member of the Colorado Bar Association.
To find out how many grievances are filed against an attorney you may be concerned about, call the Attorney Regulatory Board at (303) 893-8121 and specifically ask how many complaints were filed against that lawyer. They will give that information on the phone but it is not published. The Equal Justice Foundation also maintains a list of attorneys that members have complained about, in addition to lists of attorneys who have been recommended to us.
In practice Disciplinary Counsel acts primarily as an attorney protective association with only rare cases known where unethical or incompetent attorneys are taken to task, i.e, the attorney was convicted of a federal or state felony. Even in the rare cases where disciplinary action is taken, it seldom amounts to more than a slap on the wrist and the weak disciplinary action is usually kept confidential.
| Home | Abstract | Contents | Site Map | Tables | Index | Bibliography |
| Comments? | Get Newsletter | Help the EJF |
| Chapter 9 — Colorado Judges - Citizen's Review |
| Next — Colorado Court of Appeals |
| Back — Introduction To Citizen's Review Of Colorado Judges |
This site is supported and maintained by the Equal Justice Foundation.