Yesterday, Ethics Watch filed a supplemental brief in a case that promises to shed the state’s first light on the effect of Citizens United v. FEC on Colorado campaign finance law.

Yesterday, the Denver District Court ruled in favor of Colorado Ethics Watch on a claim against the IEC for violation of the Open Meetings Act.

Yesterday, District Court Judge Norman Haglund ruled that the Colorado Independent Ethics Commission (IEC) must pay Colorado Ethics Watch $10,332.02 for attorneys fees it incurred in a successful lawsuit against the IEC for violating the Colorado Open Records Act (CORA).

Judge Robert L. McGahey, Jr. of the Denver District Court today dismissed a portion of Ethics Watch’s complaint against the Colorado Independent Ethics Commission (“IEC”), challenging the IEC’s advisory opinion that a legislator’s acceptance of a gift of a trip to Turkey would not violate Amendment 41’s gift ban. Judge McGahey accepted the IEC’s position that advisory opinions are not subject to judicial review because they are “neither the issuance of a general regulation nor the determination of particular rights in adjudication.” The ruling means any legislator or other public officer covered by Amendment 41 who seeks an advisory opinion cannot actually rely on the IEC’s opinion and could still be subject to a complaint.

Today, Ethics Watch filed its final brief with the Colorado Court of Appeals in its challenge of an administrative law judge (ALJ) order that permitted two so-called 527 political organizations to avoid contribution limits and disclosure obligations applicable to political committees under Colorado law, simply by avoiding the use of words such as "vote for" and "elect" in their ads supporting state House and Senate candidates during the 2008 election.

Colorado Ethics Watch has learned that its complaint with the Colorado Secretary of State against the Lakewood Safe Streets Committee was successful in forcing this group to register as an issue committee and disclose financial contribution and expenditure information. 

Ernest Luning (The Colorado Independent) - DENVER — The Colorado Independent Ethics Commission violated the state’s Open Meetings Law when it failed to convene a dozen closed-door meetings held earlier this year according to strict legal requirements, a Denver District Court judge has ruled.

Ethics Watch filed a complaint today with the Aurora City Clerk against four proponents of the Aurora Impound Initiative for receiving contributions and making expenditures while failing to register as an issue committee.   This is the second such complaint filed by Ethics Watch in so many days.  Yesterday, Ethics Watch filed its complaint against Lakewood Impound Initiative supporters.

Ethics Watch filed today a campaign finance complaint with the Colorado Secretary of State against the Lakewood Safe Streets Committee for receiving contributions and making expenditures while failing to file as an issue committee.

Ethics Watch today filed a complaint with the Aurora City Clerk against Aurora Council Member Ryan Frazier for failure to file accurate financial disclosures between 2007 and 2009. Frazier's financial disclosure forms filed with Aurora claim he has been employed by Raytheon since 2004, with no changes since; but his public statements and online biographies indicate he has changed employment to Avaya Corporation and again to Takara Systems.

John Tomasic (The Colorado Independent) - A Larimer County judge this afternoon ordered the Colorado State University Board of Governors to make public further recordings of a closed-door session during which it secretly interviewed candidates for the university’s new chancellorship and decided to select its own vice chairman, Joe Blake, as sole finalist for the position.

Last month, Denver District Court Judge Norman Haglund ruled in favor of Ethics Watch in a Colorado Open Records Act lawsuit against the Colorado Independent Ethics Commission (IEC).  Ethics Watch is now making public for the first time files regarding advisory opinion and letter ruling requests and non-frivolous complaints filed with the IEC, all of which have now been made public as a result of the court ruling.

Today, Ethics Watch filed its opening brief with the Colorado Court of Appeals in a case involving whether so-called 527 political committees can avoid contribution limits and disclosure regulations applicable to political committees under Colorado law, simply by avoiding the use of so-called "magic words" like "vote for" or "reject."  The Court of Appeals will review an administrative law judge's November 2008 decision that Senate Majority Fund and Colorado Leadership Fund did not act as political committees when they ran ads in support of various state House and Senate candidates.

Ethics Watch, yesterday, filed a complaint with Denver District Court against the Colorado Independent Ethics Commission (IEC), asking the court to void an April 17 advisory opinion allowing a lawmaker to take a junket to Turkey.

Today, Denver District Court Judge Norman Haglund ruled that the Colorado Independent Ethics Commission’s (IEC) withholding of documents from public review was improper, and ordered the IEC to give Ethics Watch access to review documents regarding advisory opinions and letter rulings within 15 days. In addition, the judge awarded attorneys fees to Ethics Watch in the case.

Today, Colorado Ethics Watch called on the Colorado Independent Ethics Commission (IEC), former Secretary of State Mike Coffman and his counsel to work with Ethics Watch to create a more thorough, accessible and transparent process for the IEC to handle ethics complaints. As a way of moving that process forward, Ethics Watch also announced that it will forego an appeal of the IEC’s recent decision.

A Denver District Court will hear evidence and arguments from Colorado Ethics Watch and the Independent Ethics Commission (IEC) that will ultimately lead to a decision of whether the IEC is entitled to an exception in open meetings laws and open records laws.

Today, Administrative Law Judge Robert N. Spencer imposed a fine of $7150 on the Colorado League of Taxpayers for its failure to report approximately $2,300 in spending on an electioneering communication targeting Garfield County Commissioner candidate Steve Carter in September 2008.  The fine represents a penalty of $50 for each day from September 29, 2008, the date the report should have been filed with the Garfield County Clerk, through February 20, 2009, the date Ethics Watch filed its complaint. 

Jeff Tucker (Pueblo Chieftain) - Pueblo County Commissioner John Cordova has been fined more than $6,000 for violations of the state's campaign finance laws.  But the argument that Cordova circumvented the finance laws by holding a golf tournament to collect corporate donations was moot, according to a decision from Administrative Law Judge Robert Spencer.

Yesterday, Colorado Ethics Watch and former Secretary of State Mike Coffman filed closing briefs with the Colorado Independent Ethics Commission ("IEC") after the March 6 hearing on Ethics Watch's complaint against Mr. Coffman.  Ethics Watch's complaint was the first filed with the IEC and is the only complaint the IEC has heard since it was established by Colorado voters in 2006.