Political Quotes

“Judicial understaffing in Colorado and in the home State of the Presiding Officer and all the Senators has a real effect on residents and businesses. As the caseload increases for each judge, more and more time must be devoted to criminal cases. That is because the Constitution guarantees a speedy trial. But as time and energy shifts to the criminal docket, the civil docket in turn suffers. It continues to become increasingly difficult to schedule a trial as these backups grow longer and longer. This increased caseload I am referencing also has a huge impact on our rural and tribal communities around the State as well. Our Federal District judges are all located in Denver, but they often have to travel to other parts of the State for hearings or trials. The geography in Colorado makes travel a little more complicated than in some other States. We have a big State with the Rocky Mountains running right through the middle of our State, and I can tell you from my own experience getting around the mountainous areas of Colorado during the snowy winter months is not easy. As a result, all over the State, residents on the Western Slope and down in the valleys, my tribal constituents, they have a more difficult time accessing the Federal judicial system--as plaintiffs, defendants, even as witnesses. As pressing as this situation is in Colorado, I know it is not unique. Of the nearly 100 current judicial vacancies, 42 are considered judicial emergencies--almost half.”