History

A Brief History of Colorado’s Supermax Prison

ADX Florence opened in 1995 and various lawsuits have been filed and settled over conditions and practices at the prison.
a woman holds a communion wafer.

The 1908 Communion Killer

In February 1908, reported anarchist Guiseppe Alia murdered Father Leo Heinrichs as he gave communion at a church in Denver.
a wall of old books is dimly lit by a nearby window.

The 1984 Lawsuit Over the Colorado Bar Exam

In June 1984, four Hispanic law school graduates filed a $50 million lawsuit over the way the Colorado bar exam was scored the previous summer.
police tape is bright against a dark background.

Colorado Cold Case Gets Arrest a Decade Later

Earlier this year, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office arrested Joel Hollendorfer in connection with the decade-old cold case murder of Kara Nichols.
students sit with heads bowed in a classroom in what looks like the late 1940's

Colorado’s Lesser Known School Desegregation Case

In 1914, Maestas v. Shone successfully challenged discriminatory student placement practices in Alamosa, Colorado
crime scene tape is stark and shocking against a dark background

1978 San Francisco Cold Case Gets 2021 Arrest in Colorado

A Colorado man was arrested in December 2021 on suspicion of the 1978 cold case sexual assault and murder of Marissa Harvey.
A statue of lady justice holds her scales aloft and a sword dangles loosely at her side.

Colorado’s Injury Leave for State Employees

In 1999, the Colorado Court of Appeals affirmed a district court order that set aside a provision repeal from the Colorado Department of Personnel which would have replaced the procedure with one that allowed agencies to terminate employees who couldn’t return to work after six months of continuous leave.
a gavel against a dark background

A Brief History of Colorado Dues Checkoffs for State Employees

The state Supreme Court in 2004 ruled state employees and labor organizations had standing to sue the governor over an executive order.

Determination of Parental Rights Termination

In 1974, the Colorado Supreme Court had to determine what standards need to be met to terminate parental rights.
A black and white photo shows a darkened pit with a hand reaching out toward the edge. It's too dark in the pit to see anything else.

The Holes in the Hat

Stuart Garfield Mace was a Colorado photojournalist who captured the Ludlow Massacre in 1914 and the Denver street car riots in 1920.