The Colorado Supreme Court issued two opinions from April 10-16. As of April 16, the court issued 16 opinions in 2023 — four fewer than this point a year ago. The two opinions are below:
- Colorado v. Rainey, where the court “determined a defendant did not have a right to continued representation by a particular appointed lawyer.”
- Colorado v. Davis, where the court “reversed the appellate court, finding the trial court correctly considered whether defendant would have been prejudiced if his appointed counsel was replaced by a different public defender, and concluded that he would not be.”
From April 10-16, state supreme courts issued 91 opinions nationally. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals and the North Dakota Supreme Court issued the most with nine. State supreme courts in 26 states issued the fewest with zero. Courts where judges are elected have issued 48 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 43.
The Colorado Supreme Court is the state’s court of last resort and has seven judgeships. The current chief of the court is Brian Boatright. The court issued 61 opinions in 2022 and 59 in 2021. Nationally, state supreme courts issued 7,423 opinions in 2022 and 8,320 in 2021. The courts have issued 1,883 opinions in 2023. Courts where judges are elected have issued 1,029 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 854. Colorado is a Democratic trifecta, meaning Democrats control the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature.
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