Colorado

Colorado Can’t Top This Southern State On Controversial Court Rulings

Published

2 years ago

February 21, 2024

Press Room

Colorado Can’t Top This Southern State On Controversial Court Rulings

North Carolina Supreme Court chamber in Raleigh

getty

The Colorado Supreme Courtâs December 19 ruling to remove former President Donald Trump (R) from the 2024 ballot was unprecedented and sparked nationwide debate, but its ultimate fate will be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court, which heard oral arguments for the case on February 8. The same goes for the Maine Secretary of Stateâs December 28 decision to remove Trump, who is leading President Joe Biden (D) in multiple polls, from the 2024 ballot in a second state.

A December decision by the Wisconsin Supreme Court, meanwhile, forced a redraw of Wisconsinâs state legislative maps. As a result of those new maps, which were approved by Governor Tony Evers (D-Wisc.) on February 19, âRepublicans will now have an uphill fight to maintain their majorities this year and in 2026,â the Wall Street Journal editorial board noted, adding that âthe left could soon run all of state government.â

The Wisconsin Supreme Court, which shifted to a progressive majority in 2023, will rule later this year on a lawsuit filed by unions seeking to overturn Act 10, the landmark entitlement reform enacted by former Governor Scott Walker (R) in 2011. Act 10, which restricted collective bargaining and gave workers a say in whether or not to support a union, has since saved Wisconsin taxpayers more than $16 billion.

Should the Wisconsin Supreme Court overturn Act 10, it would drive up costs for Wisconsin taxpayers by billions of dollars moving forward. Beyond Wisconsin, some are concerned that such a decision out of a battleground state, on the heals of the ballot access ruling in Colorado, could embolden justices in other states to push the envelope and issue decisions that are akin to setting policy from the bench.

Controversial Supreme Court Rulings Are Nothing New In North Carolina

Among all U.S. residents, North Carolinians in particular are no strangers to controversial state supreme court decisions. Years before the current drama in the Colorado and Wisconsin Supreme Courts garnered national attention, North Carolina Supreme Court justices handed down multiple rulings, some of which are still being adjudicated, that have been criticized as examples of judicial activism and legislating from the bench. In that respect, the 2022 ruling by the then-Democratic majority North Carolina Supreme Court, which found that a lower court judge could overturn two constitutional amendments approved by voters, stands out.

In the 2018 general election, 57% of North Carolina voters approved a constitutional amendment to lower the stateâs personal income tax rate cap from 10% to 7%. Another constitutional amendment on that same ballot instituting a photo ID requirement to vote passed with support from 55% of voters. Yet the will of North Carolina voters was subsequently overruled by four members of the North Carolina Supreme Court, all Democrats, who issued a ruling that could pave the way for the ultimate overturning of voter-approved constitutional amendments based on an unprecedented legal theory. The theory posits that because the two measures were referred to the ballot by a legislature comprised of gerrymandered districts, the measures were illegitimate despite being approved by voters.

Though the then-Democrat-controlled North Carolina Supreme Court ruled that a trial court could overturn voter approved constitutional amendments using a novel legal theory, the Democratic justices sent the case back to the trial court for further deliberation before making a final ruling. Further developments in this case, which is now sitting with a three-judge panel, could occur as early as March.

âThe majority concedes that constitutional procedures were followed,â North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Phil Berger Jr. (R) wrote in his dissent from the 2022 decision made by his Democratic colleagues, âyet they invalidate more than 4.1 million votes and disenfranchise more than 55% of North Carolinaâs electorate.â

âWhen Democratic Supreme Court justices tried to use dubious legal ideas to block the will of the people, some of us started referring to them as the Usurper Four,â said Mitch Kokai, senior political analyst at the John Locke Foundation, a free-market think tank focusing on North Carolina. âVoters replaced two of the four Democrats with conservatives during the last election cycle. The future of the stateâs constitutional law depends on continued vigilance from voters.â

In the 2022 midterm elections, Republicans won two state supreme court races, flipping the court to a 5-2 GOP majority. Voter ID requirements will be in effect in North Carolina for the 2024 elections. Thatâs because, in April of 2023, the now GOP majority North Carolina Supreme Court upheld the voter ID law enacted by legislators weeks after the 2018 constitutional amendment to require voter ID was approved by voters. The income tax cap reduction, however, remains an unresolved matter.

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper (D) and other Democrats, like President Biden, can be expected to talk frequently about alleged threats to democracy in 2024, with the Associated Press reporting on February 17 that it is âcentral to Bidenâs campaign messaging.â Yet it wonât be lost on North Carolinians that many of the same politicians offering warnings about threats to democracy have themselves backed a decision by four judges that went against the will of a clear majority of North Carolina voters.

Controversial state supreme court decisions go back much further in North Carolina than the past decade. In fact, the North Carolina Supreme Court is still adjudicating a three decade-old lawsuit, referred to as the Leandro case, alleging that the state is underfunding certain school districts.

State supreme court justices are selected by voters in 22 states. 14 of those 22 states hold nonpartisan judicial elections, while eight hold partisan elections. In the past few years, lawmakers in North Carolina and Ohio moved their states to partisan judicial elections, joining Alabama, Illinois, Louisiana, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Texas. Given the heightened importance of state supreme court majorities, many believe the most open and democratic approach is to have voters decide who fills state supreme court seats and that it should be done in partisan elections in order to maximize transparency and voter information.

State Supreme Court Justice Selection Process By State

Democracy Docket

Evidence suggests putting the selection of state supreme court justices on the ballot can lead to greater voter engagement. Researchers at Michigan State University and the University of Pittsburgh examined 260 state supreme court elections across 18 states from 1990 to 2004, finding that âincreased spending significantly improves voter participation in these races.â

Recent decisions by the Colorado, Wisconsin, and North Carolina Supreme Courts have driven home the importance of state supreme court control when it comes to setting policy. Voters can put one of the two parties in charge of both the governorâs mansion and legislature. As has been demonstrated in a number of states, however, legislatively enacted and voter approved reforms can be overturned or reversed if the state supreme court is in the hands of political or ideological opponents. Expect media attention and campaign spending on state supreme court races to escalate in the coming years, and for good reason.

Source link

Click to comment

Colorado

Colorado mom, 6-year-old son found dead in Canyonlands National Park in apparent murder-suicide

Published

2 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Colorado mom, 6-year-old son found dead in Canyonlands National Park in apparent murder-suicide

A Colorado woman and her 6-year-old son were found dead in Canyonlands National Park near Moab, Utah, this week in what appears to be a murder-suicide, law enforcement officials said.

Park rangers responded to a suspicious vehicle parked in a no-camping area near Shafer Trail in the Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands at 8:15 a.m. Thursday, the San Juan County, Utah, Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

Park rangers found an unresponsive 6-year-old boy in the vehicle and started life-saving measures, but the boy was pronounced dead when he arrived at the hospital.

The woman was found dead outside of the vehicle.

Source link

Colorado

Battle with the Blue Jackets | Colorado Avalanche

Published

15 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Battle with the Blue Jackets | Colorado Avalanche

Columbus Blue Jackets (18-18-7) @ Colorado Avalanche (32-4-7)

2 p.m. MT | Ball Arena | Watch: Altitude, Altitude+ | Listen: Altitude Sports Radio (92.5 FM)

After a homestand-opening win on Thursday, the Avalanche hosts the Columbus Blue Jackets for Next Gen Night on Saturday. This is the second and final regular-season matchup between the teams in 2025-26, as the Avalanche defeated the Blue Jackets 4-1 in Columbus on October 16th.

A Big Night at Ball

Josh Manson recorded the first two-goal and four-point game of his career, along with a Gordie Howe hat trick, as the Avalanche defeated the Ottawa Senators 8-2 at Ball Arena on Thursday. Manson was one of five Avs to post at least three points on Thursday, alongside Nathan MacKinnon (1g/3a), Ross Colton (3a), Brock Nelson (2g/1a) and Cale Makar (1g/2a). Additionally, Brent Burns added a goal for Colorado while Scott Wedgewood stopped 29 of the 31 shots he faced in net for the Avs. With the victory, the Avalanche extended its home win streak to 16 games.

At 10:11 of the first period, Manson opened the scoring with his third goal of the season via a shot from the point through traffic. MacKinnon doubled Colorado’s lead at 17:14 of the first period with his 36th goal of the season via a shot from the slot set up by Necas. The Avs took a 3-0 lead at 2:35 of the second period when Makar scored his 13th tally of the season via a left-circle shot after receiving a drop pass from MacKinnon. At 5:08 of the middle frame, Shane Pinto put the Senators on the board. The Senators momentarily made it 3-2 with 13:41 remaining in the second period, but the goal was disallowed after the Avs successfully challenged for offside. After the disallowed tally, the clock was reset to 13:48.

Necas gave the Avs a 4-1 lead on the power play at 11:46 of the second period with his 20th goal of the season via a sharp-angle one-timer from the bottom of the left circle set up by MacKinnon. At 12:03 of the middle frame, Burns made it 5-1 with his sixth goal of the season via a right-point shot through traffic. Nelson gave the Avs a 6-1 lead on a five-on-three power play at 14:23 of the second period with his 20th goal of the season via a right-circle one-timer set up by MacKinnon’s cross-ice feed. The Avalanche took a 7-1 lead at 16:48 of the middle frame when Manson scored his second goal of the game and fourth of the season via a one-timer from the point set up by Jack Drury’s feed. At 18:04 of the middle frame, Nelson scored his second tally of the game and 21st of the season via a right-circle one-timer set up by Ilya Solovyov’s feed from the left point. Brady Tkachuk made it 8-2 with a shorthanded goal from the doorstep at 7:03 of the third period.

Leading the Way

Nate the Great

MacKinnon leads the NHL in goals (36) and points (78) while ranking tied for third in assists (42).

All Hail Cale

Makar leads NHL defensemen in points (51) and assists (38) while ranking third in goals by blueliners (13). Among all NHL skaters, he’s seventh in assists.

Marty Party

Necas is seventh in the NHL in points (55) and tied for ninth in assists (35).

Series History

In 70 previous regular-season games against the Blue Jackets, the Avalanche has a record of 45-19-1-5.

Defeat on the Road

The Blue Jackets lost 5-3 to the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena on Thursday. In the first period, Columbus took a 2-0 lead after goals from Boone Jenner at 8:24 and Kent Johnson at 10:41 before Reilly Smith put Vegas on the board at 12:20. The Golden Knights took a 4-2 lead after second-period goals from Smith at 5:19, Jack Eichel at 13:07 and Mark Stone on the power play at 18:44. Kirill Marchenko scored for the Blue Jackets to make it 4-3 at 14:28 of the third period before Brett Howden gave the Golden Knights a 5-3 lead at 16:14 of the final frame.

Contributors Against Columbus

MacKinnon has posted 26 points (7g/19a) in 22 games against the Blue Jackets.

In nine contests against Columbus, Makar has registered 17 points (6g/11a).

Necas has recorded 21 points (4g/17a) in 26 games against the Blue Jackets.

Producing Offense for Ohio’s Team

Zach Werenski leads the Blue Jackets in points (46) and assists (30) while ranking tied for first in goals (16).

Marchenko is tied for the team lead in goals (16) while ranking second in points (35) and tied for second in assists (19).

Dmitri Voronkov is third on the Blue Jackets in points (28) and goals (15).

A Numbers Game

30

Colorado’s 30 five-on-five goals since December 19th (10 games) are the most in the NHL during that span.

63

The Avalanche’s 63 second-period goals lead the NHL.

3.94

Colorado’s 3.94 goals per game since December 1st lead the NHL during that span.

Quote That Left a Mark

“It was fun. I don’t think he’s ever seen that before. He’s seen me fight. He’s maybe seen me score. But I don’t think he’s ever seen—actually, nobody’s ever seen that before out of me in the NHL. So, it was a first for everybody, including myself.”

— Josh Manson on recording a Gordie Howe hat trick with his father, former NHLer Dave Manson, in attendance

Source link

Colorado

Colorado man heads to Washington, D.C., to gain support for Marshall Fire survivors

Published

1 day ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Colorado man heads to Washington, D.C., to gain support for Marshall Fire survivors

Four years after the fire, recovery is still incomplete for some Marshall Fire victims. A Colorado man is joining wildfire survivors from across the country to push lawmakers to make changes and provide support for survivors still rebuilding.

Recently, a historic $640 million settlement was reached with Xcel Energy, but the Coloradans who lost everything in the Marshall Fire might not be receiving all the money that they’re owed. Some settlements could be taxed, while others were paid in full.

Benjamin Carter

“I was the fourth responding fire engine to the Marshall Fire. By the end of the night, I was triaging homes in the neighborhood that I grew up in,” said former firefighter Benjamin Carter. “I’ve seen how much the community’s hurting, and I just wanted to do whatever I could to help.”

Carter is now fighting for those who lost their homes, including his mother. He’s working with an organization called After the Fire, joining up with wildfire survivors in Oregon, Hawaii and California. This week, Carter flew to Washington, D.C., to speak with lawmakers about how they can help survivors rebuild.

In 2024, lawmakers passed the Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act, which exempted wildfire survivors from taxes on related settlements, among other tax relief. But the bill expired last week, shortly after Xcel agreed to settle over the Marshall Fire.

“If the people don’t have to pay taxes on the damages, then it helps them rebuild,” Carter explained. “Some of the smaller attorneys still haven’t received payment, so all those people will be subject to those taxes; all the attorney fees, and what the actual settlements end up being. And, of what they’re actually getting at the end of the day, that’s been a huge challenge.”

Congress has already proposed extension options. But Carter hopes that by sharing their stories, legislators will act before survivors lose anything else.

“With a lot going on in Washington and everything, the representatives don’t always know about all the issues. And so, we want to educate them on this issue and hopefully gain their support,” Carter said.

Source link