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08_06_25_headlinesAM Ainsley Coogan
Colorado, Denver, on DOJ sanctuary jurisdiction list
State and local officials are refuting a Trump administration claim that Colorado and Denver are so-called “sanctuary jurisdictions.”
That, after the U.S. Department of Justice issued a new list of what it calls sanctuary jurisdictions, which includes both Colorado, and the city of Denver.
The DOJ list comes two months after the Department of Homeland Security issued a similar list, which it later withdrew.
Like the DHS list, the Department of Justice list says the jurisdictions on it have sanctuary policies that, quote, “impede law enforcement and put American citizens at risk by design.” Attorney General Pam Bondi warned that the DOJ would sue those jurisdictions that don’t change their policy.
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston denied the DOJ claim, and said, quote, “Denver protects the rights of all residents while enforcing federal, state, and local law.”
Fox31 said that Governor Jared Polis echoed an earlier statement that Colorado is not a sanctuary jurisdiction, adding that the criteria for what constitutes a sanctuary jurisdiction were not made public.
The new DOJ list and the previous DHS list were both created after an executive order signed by Donald Trump in April.
Wildfires
The three wildfires that have been burning on Colorado’s western slope have quickly scorched a total of 21,000 acres. The Denver Post is reporting that these fires, sparked by lightning, have also destroyed three buildings near the town of Meeker, Colorado.
Governor Jared Polis has issued disaster declarations for two of the fires burning near Meeker. Those declarations free up firefighting resources for the area. A community meeting to discuss the Elk and Lee wildfires has been scheduled for tonight at 7pm at Meeker High School.
The Lee and Elk fires have caused alarm for residents, but as of 7 p.m. last night, the sheriff’s office said the town was under no pre-evacution orders.
In Delta County, the Lereoux fire had been burning over a spanned 179 acres. The week’s hot and dry weather exacerbated all the burning wildfires, with none of them being contained according to reports from Tuesday morning.
Colorado abortion law rulings
Colorado federal judges issued a pair of rulings about state abortion law last week, reinforcing the issue already involving state abortion access.
U.S. District Judge S. Kato Crews upheld a 1993 Colorado law. This law prohibits activists from approaching people within 100 feet of the entrance of health care facilities. The law was originally created to shield women who were getting abortions from harassment, though it doesn’t only apply to abortion clinics.
Wendy Faustin, who brought a lawsuit in June 2023, hopes to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Colorado’s bubble law now that it may have a conservative majority. Her argument stems from First Amendment free speech rights and her 14th Amendment rights to equal protection under federal law.
Last Friday, however, U.S. District Judge Daniel D. Domenico ruled Friday that Colorado cannot enforce the 2023 law that prohibits so-called abortion pill reversal against a Catholic health care clinic in Englewood.
Abortion pill “reversal” refers to the idea that the effects of the first pill in abortion medication can be counteracted if the patient does not take the second pill.
The Democratic states argue that abortion pill reversal in health clinics represents false advertising, while Republican states argue that patients should be informed about reversal. The case is likely to move through the appellate court system.
Colorado Child Care Report
A new report on child care in Colorado shows how availability and expense differs from one county to the next.
The report by the Common Sense Institute says that licensed child care facilities are more available in densely populated counties.
There are 0.63 seats, or openings, in licensed child care facilities for every child under six in Boulder County. That’s the best rate among the state’s nine most populous counties, according to the report.
The lowest on the list is Pueblo county, which has 0.29 seats for every child under six.
The report says that in Denver County, child care averages nearly $1,600 a month per child. That’s 18% of a monthly household income of $8,600.
The Common Sense Institute report was summarized in Chalkbeat.
