Rep. Joe Neguse | Rep. Joe Neguse Official U.S. House headshot
Rep. Joe Neguse | Rep. Joe Neguse Official U.S. House headshot
Washington, D.C. — On May 19, 2023, Congressman Joe Neguse introduced two bills to authorize additional federal district judgeships in Colorado. The first bill, the Colorado Judgeship Act, would authorize three additional judges in Colorado’s federal district court. The second bill would allow a federal district courthouse to be established in Fort Collins. Both bills accommodate Colorado’s population growth in recent years.
The last time Colorado gained a seat on its U.S. District Court was in 1984, when the population was roughly half of what on May 19. As of now, federal district courthouses in the state can only be located in Boulder, Colorado Springs, Denver, Durango, Grand Junction, Montrose, Pueblo, and Sterling. If enacted, the new judges would be appointed by the President and confirmed by the United States Senate.
“We must ensure that Colorado’s growing population has proper judicial representation, which means advocating for additional judges to be added to the state’s federal district court and ensuring Northern Colorado’s growing population has representation, and both of these bills would do precisely that,” said Congressman Joe Neguse.
"Access to justice is incredibly important to building trust in our judicial system and government institutions. Fort Collins is the fourth largest city in Colorado and the gateway to the rapidly growing Northern Colorado region and our community would greatly benefit from a local federal district courthouse,” said Larimer County District Attorney, Gordon McLaughlin.
Rep. Neguse first called for this expansion in the 117th Congress. The Judicial Conference's recommendation of two new seats for Colorado has held constant since 2019. Rep. Neguse’s legislation would add three additional district court judges, to anticipate Colorado’s growing population. The Colorado Judgeship Act is being led by Colorado Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper in the U.S. Senate.
“As Colorado grows, we need to help our courts administer a fair and efficient justice system. In addition to continuing to confirm eminently qualified judges, this legislation is another step to provide much-needed support to the District Court of Colorado,” said Senator Bennet.
“Caseload backlogs shouldn’t stand in the way of justice. We need to expand the number of judges on Colorado’s district court so the bench is sufficient for our growing state,” said Senator Hickenlooper.
Background
Before being elected to Congress, Rep. Neguse practiced law as a litigator at one of Colorado's largest law firms. He also served in the Governor of Colorado's Cabinet as the Executive Director of Colorado's consumer protection agency. As one of the youngest people to serve as a state-Cabinet secretary, he achieved key victories, including the recovery of millions of dollars for consumers, investigations culminating in significant financial-fraud cases, the championing of legislation to combat financial fraud against seniors, and the launch of the state’s first online filing system for civil rights discrimination complaints.
Original source can be found here.
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