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Legal Lasso is Law Week Colorado’s morning newsletter with legal news from around the state. Visit Law Week Colorado to see more. Subscribers can access the digital edition for Law Week Colorado.
IN LOCAL NEWS
Coronavirus in Prisons
According to a report released last week, more than half of Colorado’s prison population has likely been infected with the coronavirus.
El Paso DA’s Personnel Decisions Draw Criticism
El Paso County’s new district attorney is drawing criticism for demoting a longtime prosecutor in the district and hiring a former DA who had already faced his share of scandal. (Colorado Springs Gazette)
Homicide Rates Rise
Many American cities saw increases in homicide rates in 2020 — that includes Denver, which saw its highest rate since 2004. (Denver Post)
Point in Time Survey Adjustments
Denver is among the major cities around the country that are skipping a key part of an annual homelessness census by only counting the number of individuals in homeless shelters but not those who are unhoused and living elsewhere. The gap might have major impacts on the ability of policymakers to understand local issues of housing and homelessness.
Legislators Get Coronavirus Protection
The General Assembly is getting ready to actually meet and start the 2021 session. And to prepare, lawmakers and legislative journalists have received coronavirus vaccinations. (Denver Post)
IN NATIONAL NEWS
Trump Refreshes Legal Team
Former President Donald Trump has announced two new members of his impeachment legal team after it came out that other attorneys have left the defense team.
SCOTUS Hears Choir Case
The U.S. Supreme Court will decide a case that questions whether churchgoers can sing inside their house of worship, in spite of pandemic restrictions.
Law Firm Shielded from Lawsuit Related to Investigation Results
The Washington Supreme Court has sided with a law firm that asserted it was protected from lawsuit by a lawyer who claimed that its investigation into his bias claim was negligent.
Bar Exam Cheating Scandal Doesn’t Indicate Widespread Cheating
More than 3,000 of the people who took California’s online bar exam were flagged for potentially cheating. The results cleared the test-takers and indicated that, instead, they just had trouble meeting the exams security requirements.
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