Colorado Supreme Court Justice Alex Martinez announces impending resignation, takes city job in Denver

by CTBC Director | 8:24 pm, August 24, 2011

Colorado Supreme Court Justice Alex Martinez unexpectedly announced earlier today (Wednesday, August 24th 2011) that he intends to resign his seat on the state’s highest court in order to take a job with the City of Denver as Manager of Safety.
Justice Martinez, who was retained in office November 2010 with the lowest percentage of “retain” votes [...]

Life in the FASTER lane – updates on the Colorado Car Tax

by CTBC Director | 2:55 pm, May 26, 2011

Surely make you lose your mind…
The Colorado Car Tax (er, “fee”) increase – ironically dubbed ‘FASTER’ – passed in the 2009 legislative session made another lap in media coverage this past week with a broadcast on the ‘Devil’s Advocate‘ television program and publication of a pair of “Issue Backgrounder” papers.
The “Issue Backgrounder” papers each address [...]

Cleaning up the “Dirty Dozen” – Agriculture Tax repeal moves forward in state House

by CTBC Director | 4:11 pm, April 18, 2011

“No man’s life, liberty, or property is safe while the legislature is in session.” – Mark Twain (1866)
Occasionally, however, the legislature can succeed in undoing previous acts putting one’s life, liberty, or property at risk…
State legislators made some progress this week towards repealing one of last year’s “Dirty Dozen” tax increases (which exploited a Colorado [...]

The ‘Dirty Dozen’ Tax Increases: How the 2010 Colorado Legislature exploited a Colorado Supreme Court ruling to (unconstitutionally) take more of your money without asking

by CTBC Director | 9:12 am, February 2, 2011

The following article was written for, and originally appears in, The Constitutionalist Today (February edition).
“No man’s life, liberty, or property is safe while the legislature is in session.” – Mark Twain (1866)
As another legislative session begins, the Colorado General Assembly once again faces a hefty budget shortfall; the projected gap between expected revenue and planned [...]

Political End Runs: How Judges violate the law (and your rights)

by CTBC Director | 9:12 am, December 29, 2010

The Constitution of the United States begins with the words “We the people.” But neither the Constitution nor “we the people” will mean anything if politicians and judges can continue to do end runs around both.
So begins a superb article by esteemed economist and commentator Thomas Sowell, published Tuesday (”Political End Runs“).
Sowell states the case [...]

It’s Official! Colorado is a “Judicial Hellhole”

by CTBC Director | 7:57 am, December 22, 2010

Last month’s Colorado Supreme Court ruling that created a “right” for plaintiffs (more accurately, their lawyers) to collect “recovered damages” over and above costs actually paid was apparently the straw that broke the camel’s back for a group that rates the performance of courts nationwide (as if the Mullarkey-Bender Court’s rulings to sanction unconstitutional tax [...]

Friday Funnies: …and a Leftist Judiciary!

by CTBC Director | 9:35 am, December 17, 2010

Welcome to the 2010 Christmas edition of the Clear The Bench Colorado Friday Funnies!
In all of the tumult, toil, and trouble of the weeks leading up to the 2010 judicial retention elections (and in the weeks following), Clear The Bench Colorado has been far too serious, falling short in our mission to amuse, in addition [...]

Colorado Supreme Court ruling produces plaintiff windfall

by CTBC Director | 4:11 pm, November 28, 2010

Last week’s Colorado Supreme Court ruling in the Volunteers of America v. Gardenswartz case created a windfall win for personal injury trial lawyers (the “ambulance-chaser” set) and incidentally, some of the clients they represent, in collecting damage reimbursements above and beyond amounts actually paid.
The Colorado Supreme Court’s “Mullarkey Majority” (yes, Chief Justice Mary Mullarkey wrote [...]

Judicial Performance Review Commission charged with bias

by CTBC Director | 11:19 am, November 19, 2010

In a development which should come as no shock to astute observers of Colorado’s “judicial merit selection and retention” system, the state’s 10th Judicial District performance review commission has been charged with bias in conducting “reviews” of judges in the district, as reported in a Pueblo Chieftain newspaper article (”Officials stand behind performance commission“) earlier [...]

Clear The Bench Colorado continues the Grassroots Revival: speaking along the Western Slope Thursday, Friday

by CTBC Director | 11:11 am, September 30, 2010

The resurgence of “We The People” in the form of local citizens banding together in grassroots civic action organizations to defend our constitutional rights is THE continuing political story of the year 2010 in America and is profoundly affecting Colorado Politics in this year and beyond…
Clear The Bench Colorado Director Matt Arnold is both proud and humbled [...]

keep looking »

Featured Posts

• Ga. Court Rules Obama Eligible to Run; Appeal Slated

  It was too easy for the Georgia judge to hide behind another court’s questionable ruling. I think the Liberty Legal Foundation may be onto something. At least on appeal the court won’t be able to throw it out on procedural grounds. Stay tuned…

• Printing Money Doesn’t Work in Britain Either
• Oklahoma’s Constitutional Amendment Would Pit Taxpayers Against Unions
• Friday’s Unemployment Numbers: Correcting the Corrections
• Romney Woos Grand Junction, Earns Sen. King’s Endorsement
• The Borking of Netflix: movie service finds privacy law to be an inconvenience
• Rich Americans Are Fleeing the Country