Judicial launches website for Colorado appellate opinions dating to 1864

Tuesday, March 5, 2024
(Corrected version - The site provides access to opinions dating to 1864)

DENVER – Published opinions issued by the Colorado Supreme Court and Colorado Court of Appeals dating to 1864 are now easily available free of charge through a new website.

The Judicial Department, through a competitive bidding process, hired a vendor in 2022 to comply with the terms of House Bill 22-1091. The bill called for the Judicial Department to build a website to allow public access to all Supreme Court opinions and all published opinions of the Court of Appeals, or those opinions selected by that court as setting precedent in case law. Later this year, all Court of Appeals unpublished opinions will be added to the site, https://research.coloradojudicial.gov/.

“This new website, offering free and easy access to every opinion by both of Colorado’s appellate courts, provides anybody with important information as they make decisions about their own legal matters or simply seek to study the law,” said Supreme Court Chief Justice Brian D. Boatright. “We were happy to work with the sponsors of this important legislation to make this valuable service available.”

Chief Justice Boatright also said he was pleased with the choice of the bill’s short title: the “Justice Gregory Hobbs Public Access to Case Law Act” to honor the memory of the former Colorado Supreme Court justice who was a passionate advocate for improving Coloradans’ access to justice through the courts.

The website will be updated within a day each time new opinions are issued: Mondays for the Supreme Court and Thursdays for the Court of Appeals.