John Andrews is hoping to put a measure on the fall ballot that would set term limits for judges, according to the Rocky Mountain News [January 7, 2006, "Term limits for judges?"]. From the article, "Former state Senate president John Andrews proposed a state initiative Friday that would set term limits for Colorado appellate judges and Supreme Court justices in an effort to make them more accountable to voters. Andrews, who called some judges 'black-robed dictators,' said the public is increasingly concerned because 'our appeals court and Supreme Court frequently set out to make the law and not merely interpret it.' Under the proposed constitutional amendment, state appellate judges and Supreme Court justices would face retention election every four years and would be term-limited after 12 years. Currently, they're subject to retention election every 10 years, and fewer than 1 percent are turned out, Andrews said. Two years ago, when Andrews was Senate president, lawmakers killed his proposal to put a similar measure on the ballot after state Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Love Kourlis told lawmakers the measure would make the judiciary more political."
Here's some coverage from the Rocky dealing with the proposed late term abortion restrictions ballot initiative [January 7, 2006, "Battle over abortion likely to heat up again"]. They write, "Colorado voters can brace for an expensive, emotional battle this November if abortion foes are successful in getting an initiative on the ballot that would ban late-term abortions. Political analysts predict that proponents of the measure will easily gather the required 68,000 signatures and leap over the legal hurdles to get the measure on the ballot. Then, the big guns nationally on both sides of the heated issue will descend on Colorado, armed with millions of dollars for campaign advertising...The proposed initiative would ban abortions that lead to the death of a 'viable fetus': Definition of viable fetus - 'A fetus that has attained that stage of fetal development when its life may be continued indefinitely outside the womb by natural or artificial life-supportive systems'; Doctors performing abortions would have to determine whether a fetus is viable; Exceptions - in the case of a medical emergency; Sanctions - Doctors could face felony charges for performing "post-viability" abortions."
Mike Littwin weighs in on Mayor Hickenlooper's indecision about running for governor, in his column in today's Rocky Mountain News [January 7, 2006, "Littwin: Hickenlooper fiddles as history beckons"]. From the opinion piece, "John Hickenlooper can't seem to make up his mind whether to run for governor.
Which is surprising. Because he doesn't really have a choice. If he doesn't run, Colorado Democrats will have blown an historic opportunity. You can fool around with politics. Or love. Or money. Or even, no matter what you've heard, Mother Nature. What you can't fool around with is history. Check your, uh, history if you don't believe me. The surprising thing, of course, is that Colorado Democrats have an historic opportunity that they could blow. I don't understand how it happened, but here it is: This is a watershed year in Colorado politics. The stakes range from control of the state legislature - where the Democrats run both houses for the first time since my bar mitzvah year - to national strategy in the 2008 presidential election. The Mountain West will be a huge battleground, because - you can do the geography - the Democrats don't have anywhere else to go."
The Vail Daily News is running a story about Gary Lindstrom and his run for governor. From the article, "With the calendar flipped to 2006, the countdown has begun for gubernatorial candidate Gary Lindstrom to get moving in his campaign to be the state's next governor. And he has some real work to do...The race statewide, however, isn't all about money. The nomination process by the state Democratic party begins with precinct caucuses across all corners of the state. Every precinct has to hold a caucus by March 21, the first real deadline in the race. That's where Lindstrom says he's going to focus most of his attention between now and then; he's working now to get people who support his candidacy into leadership positions in precincts everywhere."
Category: Denver November 2006 Election
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