Another week.. another lawsuit. Actually Colorado has joined four lawsuits in the last three weeks of the new Trump Administration. And earlier this week, Denver Public Schools also filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security, and a restraining order to keep U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents off school grounds. And in Colorado Springs, judges have made two rulings this week alone regarding a ballot measure dealing with legalizing recreational marijuana. We certainly are in litigious times… and isn’t this Valentine’s week supposed to be one of love and harmony? The Insider Panel got to the heart of it all on the February 14th edition of Colorado Inside Out.

Colorado Challenges to Trump Administration:
Colorado has joined other states in four lawsuits against the Trump administration:

• The fight over National Institutes for Health (NIH) funding cuts: Colorado is part of a lawsuit to halt the stop in funding to NIH which will have a drastic impact on research taking place at Colorado State University, University of Colorado-Boulder and University of Colorado State Anschutz Medical Campus. Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser says the proposed NIH cuts would translate to a total loss of $90M for Colorado research, $74M of that on the Anschutz Medical Campus. Commentator Sage Naumann: “Clearly, the Trump administration is going to basically take a very broad approach to hacking as much of government as they can. With that, there’s going to be collateral damage. And, there is only so much that they can cut before people start saying, ‘wait a minute, I support you going after fraud and abuse. That wasn’t fraud and abuse.’”
• Debate over DOGE access: The Insiders discussed the lawsuit to block the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing the U.S. Treasury Department’s payment system which holds personal information of millions of Americans.
• Push to Block Funding Freeze: Another lawsuit discussed calls to block the federal funding freeze that affects an estimated $3T in government spending.
• Push back against birthright citizenship ban: WestwordEditor Patty Calhoun: “Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser is one of the busiest men in town because he keeps needing to file these lawsuits. And you don’t know what the judges will do. One of the fascinating suits is the birthright issue. Colorado Attorney John Eastman, who worked to defend Trump on the January 6th issue, is supposedly leading some of the charge against the birthright issue.”
• In addition to the Colorado lawsuits, Denver Public Schools (DPS) has filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security along with a restraining order to keep ICE agents off school property. These agents could be looking to detain students or teachers who are in the country illegally and could be facing criminal charges. The Insider panel see this move as a “preemptive strike.” Patty Calhoun:“We do know during the first raids that there were ICE agents or federal vehicles that went by school busses and school busses had to take detours, but there’s been no evidence yet that they’re going into schools.”

Colorado Springs Recreational Marijuana Legalization Debate:
There’s a twist in the Colorado Springs saga over the legalization of recreational marijuana. Voters said yes to the idea in November of 2024. Then, the city wanted to have a re-vote. Early this week, a judge said no. But days later, the city received the “ok” to revise the wording of a ballot measure to overturn the November ruling to legalize recreational marijuana. That election will occur in a municipal election in April 2025. Colorado Springs has 90 medical dispensaries and the objective of the ballot measure is to add recreational sales at the medical dispensaries.

• Former Denver Election Spokesperson Alton Dillard: “The issue of what voters do and do not understand has a very interesting history all the way from the statehouse, where legislation was run, to make sure that people understand that ‘yes means for’ and ‘no means against,’ and then you get to Colorado Springs where they’re like, ‘oh, maybe the voters weren’t 100% sure what they voting on as far as this issue.’”
• Sage Naumann: “The fact is that the majority of voters in an election with high turnouts said, ‘we want this.’ The Colorado Springs City Council, leaning more conservative, says ‘we don’t like that, so we’re going to try again.’ That’s really not a great way to govern. Secondly, I think that the city council is hoping that there’s going to be a reduced turnout in a special election.” Sage added that in a special election there isn’t as broad of a voting population so people who might vote for the recreational marijuana initiative wont’ turn out as they did for the general election in November 2024.
• Community Advocate Alvina Vasquez: “What does this kind of precedent set? I’m curious to see if this is a testing cycle for them. Are they going to test this out and see if they can do it for bigger initiatives down the road?”
• The Insider Panel also discussed how there are economic arguments involved, and if Colorado Springs could lose out on potential business if sales of recreational marijuana are forbidden within city limits. Will consumers go elsewhere like Manitou Springs or Pueblo?

Road Safety Concerns:

• AAA Colorado reports pedestrian fatalities in Colorado increased by a staggering 161% over the last decade.
• Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) reports construction-zone deaths totaled 31 in 2024, up 94% from the previous year.
• Colorado’s roadways are not in the best of condition and considering the state’s budget is facing a $1B shortfall, so road and bridge projects may not be prioritized this year. Sage Naumann: “But, it’s not something that we can ignore for very much longer.” And there is concern that there won’t be federal dollars for road infrastructure under the Trump Administration. Alvina Vasquez: “It’s become a partisan issue where we have a President who doesn’t like Colorado and is going to do everything he can to make it uncomfortable and unsafe for families in Colorado.” In January, the Department of Transportation announced it would prioritize projects in communities with high birth and marriage rates. Colorado’s fertility rate is among the lowest in the nation.
• Back to the danger people cause: Patty Calhoun: “I think we have to worry about the people who are still on their cell phones, despite the laws, who are driving so fast and the transplants to Colorado who don’t understand the conditions. And.. drivers aren’t civil either. If you’re on the roads now, they seem worse than they have ever been.” Alton Dillard: “We also have folks who don’t chain up or the folks who don’t have the proper tires going into the mountains.” The Town of Vail has asked Governor Polis to do more to hold truckers accountable who aren’t properly and legally prepared to drive over mountain passes, like Vail Pass. The Town of Vail is responsible for cleanup of big accidents on I-70 and estimates economic impacts from closures of the interstate in 2024 exceeded $300M.

Motivation among Colorado Leaders:
The Insiders mentioned leaders who stand out them for standing up, and they also mentioned leaders whose motivation they question:

• Alvina Vasquez: “I think Secretary of State Jena Griswold would be a great Colorado Attorney General. I think she’s already been positioning herself as somebody that’s going to push back on the Trump administration. Congressional District 2 Representative Joe Neguse has passed 105 bills where CD4 Representative Lauren Boebert hasn’t passed any bills. Whether I agree with her bills or not, she can’t get anything across the finish line.”
• Patty Calhoun: Patty praised Denver City Council member Shontel Lewis for how she communicates with her constituency, citing how she passed on approving some new funding to help the homeless situation. “She has worked for the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless and said ‘I need more information.’ That’s what our elected leaders should be asking for. I’m not sure I trust the motives of Danielle Jurinsky on the Aurora City Council.”
• Alton Dillard: “State Senator James Coleman is not a big headline maker but he is a true workhorse type who works to build coalitions. And then, on the flipside of that is his colleague State Senator Sonya Jaquez Lewis.” The Boulder County lawmaker is being investigated by the Senate Ethics Committee for complaints about alleged behavior from former staffers, allegations she denies.
• Sage Naumann: “In a state where Republicans really have no political power, State Senator Barb Kirkmeyer of Weld County is a member of the Joint Budget Committee, the most powerful committee in the state legislature, who every single day is actually doing her job. I think the majority of members of Congress, generally speaking, are not there to do their job.”

As we move into the long weekend for Presidents’ Day, I hope everyone enjoys some downtime after a busy week. As Patty Calhoun joked, “you can’t take your eyes off things for a second or you’re going to miss yet another horror.”

No horrors on my radar for this weekend. I’m looking forward to tuning out as I’m headed to the University of Virginia to watch my oldest daughter compete in her last home swim meet. Go Hoos!