Colorado Laws

Calling the community "a city of tolerance," the City Council has voted to urge Colorado officials to repeal a new state law that prohibits anti-discrimination laws that would protect homosexuals. As part of the same resolution, the council recently asked Laguna Beach residents to consider supporting the repeal effort by writing to Colorado officials, postponing travel plans to that state and by not buying products produced there.

CENTENNIAL, Colo. -- James E. Holmes, accused of carrying out the Aurora movie theater massacre that killed 12 and injured 70 last summer, is expected to plead not guilty by reason of insanity in court Monday, his defense lawyers have said in a court filing. The plea has long been anticipated as Holmes' lawyers have repeatedly described him as “severely mentally ill.” The expected plea is Holmes' best hope of avoiding a possible death penalty in the rampage.  By law, Holmes cannot be put to death if he is deemed insane or suffering a mental defect.

The battle over abortion protests on the sidewalks moved indoors to the quiet of the Supreme Court on Wednesday but a lively squabble broke out just the same. "This is speech on a public sidewalk," insisted Jay Sekulow, a lawyer representing anti-abortion activists. He argued that face-to-face confrontations between patients and protesters are protected under the 1st Amendment.

CENTENNIAL, Colo. -- James E. Holmes, suspected of carrying out the Aurora movie theater massacre that killed 12 and injured 70 last summer, will plead not guilty by reason of insanity in court next week, his defense lawyers signaled Tuesday in a court filing. The defense decision has long been anticipated as Holmes' lawyers have repeatedly described him as “severely mentally ill.” But no matter how expected, the latest development has been many months in coming amid intense legal wrangling over the constitutionality of the Colorado insanity defense.

CENTENNIAL, Colo. -- James E. Holmes, accused of carrying out the Aurora movie theater massacre that killed 12 and injured 70 last summer, is expected to plead not guilty by reason of insanity in court Monday, his defense lawyers have said in a court filing. The plea has long been anticipated as Holmes' lawyers have repeatedly described him as “severely mentally ill.” The expected plea is Holmes' best hope of avoiding a possible death penalty in the rampage.  By law, Holmes cannot be put to death if he is deemed insane or suffering a mental defect.

CENTENNIAL, Colo. -- James E. Holmes, suspected of carrying out the Aurora movie theater massacre that killed 12 and injured 70 last summer, will plead not guilty by reason of insanity in court next week, his defense lawyers signaled Tuesday in a court filing. The defense decision has long been anticipated as Holmes' lawyers have repeatedly described him as “severely mentally ill.” But no matter how expected, the latest development has been many months in coming amid intense legal wrangling over the constitutionality of the Colorado insanity defense.

CENTENNIAL, Colo. -- The judge in the Aurora movie massacre case has rejected a defense argument that Colorado laws on insanity pleas are unconstitutional, clearing the way for the long-awaited arraignment of James E. Holmes next week. Holmes, 25, was arrested without resistance minutes after he allegedly opened fire July 20 inside a packed theater during the showing of “The Dark Knight Rises.” Twelve people were killed and 70 were wounded in a crime that horrified the nation and is now invoked by both sides in the ongoing gun control debate.  Holmes has been held in isolation without bond and has not yet entered a plea.

CENTENNIAL, Colo. - James E. Holmes, the man accused of unleashing the movie theater massacre seven months ago in Aurora, Colo., is expected to enter a plea on Tuesday. Holmes, 25, will be arraigned at 9 a.m. in a case involving a crime that has transfixed and horrified the nation in its viciousness. The former neuroscience doctoral student at the University of Colorado-Denver is accused of opening fire in a packed movie theater on July 20, killing 12 and wounding about 70. He is charged with 166 counts and could face the death penalty.

CENTENNIAL, Colo. - The judge in the Aurora movie theater massacre case has rejected a defense argument that Colorado laws on insanity pleas are unconstitutional, paving the way for a long-awaited arraignment next week. James E. Holmes, 25, was arrested without resistance minutes after a gunman opened fire July 20 in a packed theater during the showing of "The Dark Knight Rises. " Twelve people were killed and about 70 others were wounded in a crime that horrified the nation and has now become fodder in the debate over gun control.

A Colorado judge on Thursday temporarily prevented a new state law banning protective status for homosexuals from going into effect until he decides today whether to issue a permanent order. The action capped four days of testimony to determine whether Amendment 2, which would have taken effect today, should be blocked pending a full trial on its constitutionality.

CENTENNIAL, Colo. - Defense attorneys for accused movie theater gunman James E. Holmes renewed their objections Monday to the constitutionality of the state's insanity defense, giving another hint about how they hope to save their client's life. Holmes is accused of opening fire in a packed Aurora theater on July 20, killing 12 people and wounding 70 others. He is charged with 166 counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder and weapons charges. Dist. Atty. George Brauchler announced April 1 that his office would seek the death penalty.

CENTENNIAL, Colo. - James E. Holmes, the man accused of unleashing the movie theater massacre seven months ago in Aurora, Colo., is expected to enter a plea on Tuesday. Holmes, 25, will be arraigned at 9 a.m. in a case involving a crime that has transfixed and horrified the nation in its viciousness. The former neuroscience doctoral student at the University of Colorado-Denver is accused of opening fire in a packed movie theater on July 20, killing 12 and wounding about 70. He is charged with 166 counts and could face the death penalty.

CENTENNIAL, Colo. -- The judge in the Aurora movie massacre case has rejected a defense argument that Colorado laws on insanity pleas are unconstitutional, clearing the way for the long-awaited arraignment of James E. Holmes next week. Holmes, 25, was arrested without resistance minutes after he allegedly opened fire July 20 inside a packed theater during the showing of “The Dark Knight Rises.” Twelve people were killed and 70 were wounded in a crime that horrified the nation and is now invoked by both sides in the ongoing gun control debate.  Holmes has been held in isolation without bond and has not yet entered a plea.

CENTENNIAL, Colo. - The judge in the Aurora movie theater massacre case has rejected a defense argument that Colorado laws on insanity pleas are unconstitutional, paving the way for a long-awaited arraignment next week. James E. Holmes, 25, was arrested without resistance minutes after a gunman opened fire July 20 in a packed theater during the showing of "The Dark Knight Rises. " Twelve people were killed and about 70 others were wounded in a crime that horrified the nation and has now become fodder in the debate over gun control.

A landmark Colorado law that ties teacher evaluations to the progress of their students on achievement tests could help build momentum for a national movement that seeks to overhaul how instructors' tenure and pay is earned, education leaders say. Colorado's law will hold teachers accountable for whether their students are learning, with 50% of a teacher's evaluation based on students' academic growth as measured partially by test scores....

Walt Disney Co.'s Preston Padden, who has been one of the entertainment industry's biggest lobbyists in Washington for more than three decades, is retiring as executive vice president of worldwide government relations at the media giant. Padden, 62, will leave his post in January to later become a senior fellow and adjunct professor at the University of Colorado Law School. He will continue to advise Disney on strategic issues in the interim. Disney didn't name a replacement and said it was hiring a search firm to identify candidates.

The Colorado Supreme Court found that state's capital punishment statute to be unconstitutional. The law constitutes cruel and unusual punishment because it "mandates imposition of the death penalty when the jury decides that aggravating and mitigating factors (for and against the defendant) are equally balanced," the court said in Denver. The 4-3 decision stemmed from appeals in a Denver murder case.

No sooner was Amendment 2, the anti-gay-rights measure, approved by Colorado voters in November, 1992, than a national boycott of the state caromed from Hollywood to Washington. It became politically correct to ski in Utah, Idaho and the High Sierra.

Ever since passing what its Legislature promoted as the nation's toughest laws against illegal immigration last summer, Colorado has struggled with a labor shortage as migrants fled the state. This week, officials announced a novel solution: Use convicts as farmworkers. The Department of Corrections hopes to launch a pilot program this month -- thought to be the first of its kind -- that would contract with more than a dozen farms to provide inmates who will pick melons, onions and peppers.

There is perhaps no more polarizing issue among Westerners than water: who uses it, how much and when. Even here, where the mighty Colorado River delivers plenty of the precious commodity, squabbling over water is a time-honored tradition. But restrictive and confusing state laws regarding public access to rivers and streams have spawned a new wrinkle in the debate: Who may float where along Colorado's waterways?