Members of Colorado’s congressional delegation have introduced a bill to create two new U.S. District Court judgeships in Colorado, claiming that existing judges can’t handle the rising volume of cases.
The last time Colorado’s federal court received a new judge was in 1984, according to a news release from Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo. Currently, Colorado’s seven full-time district judges handle 40 percent more cases than the national average. As a result, the time it takes cases to go to trial in Colorado has more than doubled.
“Colorado’s population has grown 66 percent in the three decades since a new judgeship was added, precipitating a judicial crisis,” the news release said.
DeGette introduced the bill and Colorado’s other five representatives joined the legislation.
“It is vital to the legal fabric of Colorado that our court system be able to address the needs of our citizens,” DeGette’s news release says.
Jeffrey Colwell, clerk of the district court, said increasing caseloads in Colorado have pushed the court to the breaking point.
“We are one of the busiest districts in the country,” Colwell said Wednesday.
One area of stress is in pro se lawsuits, or those filed without an attorney.
“We get a boatload of those because we have a lot of prisons in Colorado,” Colwell said. He said there are including Administrative Maximum Penitentiary. Prisoners are the most likely to file pro se lawsuits.
In practical terms, the increase in caseloads has extended the time it takes for civil cases to get to trial.
In 1984, it took an average of 13 months from the time a lawsuit was filed to the time of trial. In the 1990s, it increased to 19 months. Today, it takes an average of 29 months for civil cases to go to trial, Colwell said.
