District attorney positions are seen as apolitical public servants. Yet they run for election, raise campaign funds and appear on the ballot with a political party affiliation. In this four-part podcast, we discuss the politicization of prosecutors, and issues special to Colorado's rural areas, and we take a look at one of Colorado's more hotly contested DA races.

HearSay by Law Week Colorado

Politicization Of DA Offices

Running In Rural Districts

John Kellner Interview

Amy Padden Interview

In this episode, reporter Julia Cardi looks into why the COVID-19 pandemic is a touchpoint for mental health in the legal profession. The COVID-19 pandemic has come with a whole set of potential triggers for mental health struggles and substance use: The upending of daily routines we took for granted. Financial distress. Absorbing the trauma of clients who have suffered economically. The episode's first guest is Sarah Myers, executive director of the Colorado Lawyer Assistance Program. We also hear from a lawyer who returned to practicing law after coming back from an alcohol addiction and disbarment. Even though he's been sober for more than 15 years, his story might resonate with lawyers who have had mental health struggles triggered by the pandemic.

A Lifeline in the Pandemic

In this episode, reporter Julia Cardi looks at a new state office that’s been years in the making. Advocates talk about why Colorado's Office of Public Guardianship took nearly three years to start operating, and what it might come up against for the legislature to keep funding it.

On the Clock

The need to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus has caused some chaos in Colorado’s courts. In mid-March, Chief Justice Nathan Coats ordered the suspension of most matters except emergency proceedings, like criminal trials coming up on constitutional deadlines. Just a few days later, he extended the stay on jury trials through May 15. Some judicial districts have decided to restrict their operations even more, such as closing courts to the public for a few days and postponing all trials. Courts have had to scramble to find a balance between needing to restrict their functioning to protect public health and rights related to speedy trials and public access to proceedings. This month on HearSay, reporter Julia Cardi talks these implications over with Holland & Hart partner Chris Jackson.

Suspended Justice

Public records are the property of the public. At least that's the spirit behind laws for access to government records. But Colorado's Open Records Act doesn't cover the judicial branch. This month on HearSay, reporter Julia Cardi talks with a local advocate for open government about why the exemption means accessibility of judicial records in Colorado is far from black and white.

Access Restricted

The Senate is expected to end the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump tomorrow by voting on whether to remove him from office. Trump is just the third impeached U.S. president. In lawyer speak, that means we don’t have a lot of case law to help define impeachable behavior. His lawyers and his supporters in Congress have argued impeachment requires the president to commit a crime. For perspective on how the Founding Fathers thought about the purpose and scope of impeachment power when they established it in the Constitution, reporter Julia Cardi talked with Scott Barker, a lawyer at Wheeler Trigg O'Donnell and self-taught impeachment scholar.

What Would the Founders Do?

From funding of prosecutors' offices to legislative efforts to get the Office of Public Guardianship off the ground, a lot happened in Colorado's legal world last year. Julia Cardi sits down with Law Week Colorado reporters Doug Chartier and Jessica Folker, and assignment editor Jess Brovsky-Eaker, to discuss some of the most rewarding and interesting stories the editorial team covered in 2019.

2019 Year In Review

Shortly before his death in May, Judge Richard Matsch, best known as the judge who presided over the Oklahoma City bombing trials, had finished a series of interviews for an oral history of his life and career by the 10th Circuit Historical Society. The 240-page transcript is a remarkably thorough record of Matsch’s early life, career and judicial philosophies given his reclusive and unapproachable reputation. The oral history is part of a renewed effort by the 10th Circuit Historical Society to document the careers of well-known judges within the circuit’s six states. This month, reporter Julia Cardi sits down with the judge who interviewed Matsch to talk about the historical society's oral histories and his sessions with Matsch.

Oral Histories From the 10th Circuit

Most people probably don't pay much attention to how judges in Colorado get selected, and it's tough to get voters engaged in judicial retention elections. But a high school presentation series seeks to change that. Students participate in a mock nominating commission process to learn about picking judges in Colorado, right as they are getting close to voting age. Reporter: Julia Cardi

Engaging Students With 'Our Courts'

What do gun regulations and Colorado’s Open Meetings Law have in common? They’re both issues in cases the state Supreme Court has taken on for the new session. This month, reporter Julia Cardi discusses a few significant cases with Sherman & Howard's Chris Jackson. One looks at whether the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is subject to the Open Meetings Law. Another takes on the constitutionality of the state's high-capacity firearms magazine ban. Reporter: Julia Cardi Managing editor: Tony Flesor

Back To The Bench

For prosecutors and public defenders, the measure of an effective office is a matter of perspective. They don't even agree on the fundamentals of what makes each side’s job complicated, and each seems to think their responsibilities are more burdensome than the other side has. Reporter: Julia Cardi Managing editor: Tony Flesor

Worlds Apart

Cultural norms for professional dressing aren't just about what a person wears. This month, reporter Julia Cardi talks with two consultants about the messages clothing can send a message about gender stereotypes, corporate hierarchy and a company’s culture. Reporter: Julia Cardi Managing editor: Tony Flesor

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