Court Cases

In two cases involving DHS workers’ interrogations of parents in jail, the Colorado Supreme Court held that the DHS workers were not acting as agents of law enforcement so Miranda warnings were not required.

In 2019, the Colorado Supreme Court changed how lengthy sentences are reviewed for proportionality. Now, the Court will decide whether people who were sentenced before 2019 can benefit from those changes.

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.

We signed onto an amicus brief with the Office of Respondent Parents’ Counsel, Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition, and Disability Law Colorado urging the Colorado Supreme Court to hold that a parent does not waive her right to a jury trial by not appearing in court when her lawyer is present.

We filed an amicus brief calling for an end to mandatory life without parole sentences for people convicted of felony murder.

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.

The ACLU of Colorado filed amicus briefs in two jury selection cases, arguing that prosecutors cannot exclude people of color from juries based on their experiences of racial injustice with police.

We filed an amicus brief urging the Colorado Supreme Court to reaffirm Colorado’s longstanding equal protection guarantee.

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.