Court Cases

In a precedent setting opinion, the court stated that “the use of less-lethal munitions—as with any other type of pain-inflicting compliance technique—is unconstitutionally excessive force when applied to an unthreatening protester who has neither committed a serious offense nor attempted to flee."

The ACLU of Colorado filed an amicus brief urging the Colorado Supreme Court to conclude that Colorado state protections preempt municipal sentencing schemes that punish identical conduct more harshly and such schemes violate Colorado’s longstanding equal protection guarantee. On December 22, 2025, the Court held that municipalities may not authorize harsher sentences than state law allows for an identical offense.

The ACLU of Colorado filed an amicus brief in support of a class action lawsuit brought by incarcerated Coloradans alleging the state is violating the voter-approved constitutional amendment banning slavery in all instances—including for those convicted of crimes.

The ACLU of Colorado filed an Amicus Brief seeking to provide the Court with Colorado-specific context that counsels strongly against eroding the protection provided by a second competency evaluation by an evaluator of the raising party’s choice.

The ACLU of Colorado is investigating and bringing habeas corpus cases based on unlawful practices occurring in the Pueblo Municipal Court where the court is issuing new “Contempt of Court” charges against defendants for missing court dates, resulting in extreme and illegal jail sentences.

The ACLU of Colorado filed an amicus brief along with the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers calling for the Colorado Supreme Court to recognize that a person held at a police station for two hours, restrained with bags over her hands, interrogated, and not permitted to leave, is in police custody, and thus must be read a Miranda advisement, no matter how police characterize the situation.

ACLU of Colorado sued the Douglas County School District, Douglas County Sheriff and several School Resource Officers for violating a student’s rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Fourth Amendment.

This case seeks monetary compensation for Saul Cisneros, who was illegally kept prisoner in the El Paso County Jail for almost four months after his daughter posted his bond.

The ACLU of Colorado sued three Colorado Springs police officers for racial profiling and biased policing.