LITTLETON, Colo.-
Five months after Arapahoe County District Attorney Carol Chambers was issued a public reprimand for her conduct, she’s under investigation again by the Colorado Supreme Court Office of Attorney Regulation.
Chambers sent an e-mail to Chief Judge William Sylvester and other district officials regarding the thorny relationship between the DA’s office and judges and public defenders in the 18th Judicial District. In it, Chambers said there could be “docket control problems” if a judge shows “overt hostility toward the People.”
Some court observers said the comment could be interpreted as a threat to not plea bargain cases and bring more to trial, a violation of court rules that require lawyers to “expedite litigation.”
“In its worst interpretation, it could be seen as threatening to shut down the system or clog the system,” said Denver lawyer Alec Rothrock, who specializes in ethical issues.
Chambers did not return phone calls left by Denver media Wednesday, but she told KUSA-TV earlier that she hadn’t threatened anyone.
Jim O’Connor, head of the public defenders’ office in Arapahoe County, was copied in on the e-mail and he sent a letter on April 20 to Arapahoe County Chief Judge William Sylvester calling the missive a threat.
“The letter speaks for itself,” O’Connor told The Denver Post.
In December 2006, Chambers was publicly censured after a three-judge panel ruled she violated a rule by questioning a collections attorney on behalf of Englewood Councilwoman Laurett Barrentine, an acquaintance of Chambers.
She faced disbarment but she was cleared of three serious charges that included threatening a criminal charge to gain an advantage in a civil case.
