Save the Date for the
11th Annual Colorado Judicial Institute’s
Judicial Excellence for Colorado Dinner
October 15, 2013
6:00 pm Cocktail Hour
7:00 pm Dinner and Program
Denver Marriott City Center
1701 California Street, Denver
For more information call 303-766-7501.
Judicial Awards Honor Excellence
in Colorado Courts
Three outstanding Colorado jurists were honored for upholding the Centennial State’s tradition of fair, impartial and accountable courts before an audience of over 600 civic leaders at the Colorado Judicial Institute’s 10th Annual Judicial Excellence for Colorado Dinner Nov. 14 at the Marriott City Center in Denver.
Receiving CJI’s annual Judicial Excellence Awards were District Court Chief Judge Robert S. Hyatt of the 2nd Judicial District Court, County Court Judge Susanna Meissner-Cutler of Douglas County in the 18th Judicial District, and Magistrate Bonnie McLean of the 18th Judicial District. The trio was honored for outstanding performance on and off the bench while improving the quality and helping to ensure the accountability of Colorado’s judiciary.
In addition to honoring three accomplished jurists, CJI welcomed as keynote speakers former Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Marsha Ternus, former Iowa Supreme Court Justice David Baker and former Iowa Supreme Court Justice Michael Streit. The three were honored in May, 2012, with the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage award for their role in crafting the decision and their refusal to sacrifice the dignity or independence of the judiciary.
The Judicial Excellence for Colorado Dinner is the primary funding mechanism for the Judicial Education Fund. To date, the fund has provided over $260,000 to support continuing education for judges, magistrates and full-time judicial department employees.
Know Your Judge Voter Education PSA – Not Campaigning, Judge Rules
The Colorado Judicial Institute (CJI) and its partners in a 2010 voter education effort called "Know Your Judge" have prevailed in a legal challenge filed by Matt Arnold of Clear the Bench Colorado (CTBC).
Shortly before the November 2010 election, Mr. Arnold filed a complaint against CJI, the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System, the Colorado Bar Association, and the League of Women Voters of Colorado alleging a violation of campaign laws when they partnered to produce a PSA and website that urged voters not to skip judges on their ballots.　 The website and PSA provided voters with the information necessary to review judicial performance evaluation information compiled for voters by the statutorily-created Colorado Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission. 　Administrative Law Judge Judith F. Schulman, on Tuesday, March 8th, granted the Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment, dismissing Arnold’s complaint against the "Know Your Judge" partners.
Click here for more information.
Public Education Program OUR COURTS Wins National Honor
The Our Courts public education program, a joint program of the Colorado Bar Association and CJI, has been awarded the American Bar Association's 2010 Burnham "Hod" Greeley Award.
The award recognizes extraordinary outreach efforts that show the public the need for a fair and impartial judiciary. Judges evaluated the nominations for significant, positive impacts on public understanding of the role of the judiciary in a democratic society and for ability to convey the importance of the judiciary’s role in the rule of law. The award is named in honor of the late Hawaii attorney Burnham “Hod” Greeley, a dedicated ABA leader who was committed to promoting public trust and confidence in our justice system.
The award was presented at the ABA annual mid-year meeting in Orlando, Florida.
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