Two Colorado House Democrats sue their caucus, Republicans for alleged violations of open meetings laws – By Jesse Paul, Elliott Wenzler and Sandra Fish (Colorado Sun) / July 10, 2023
The legal action, a rare intraparty spat spilling into public view and the courts, was filed in Denver District Court by Reps. Elisabeth Epps of Denver and Bob Marshall of Highlands Ranch
Two Democratic state representatives are suing their own caucus, including House Speaker Julie McCluskie and House Majority Leader Monica Duran, alleging “pervasive” violations of Colorado’s open meetings laws.
The 13-page legal action, a rare intraparty spat spilling into public view and the courts, was filed in Denver District Court on Friday by Democratic Reps. Elisabeth Epps of Denver and Bob Marshall of Highlands Ranch.
It alleges Colorado House Democrats’ near-weekly caucus meetings, during which pending legislation is discussed, should be publicly noticed and that meeting minutes be recorded and offered to the public. The lawsuit alleges members of the House Democratic caucus “directed legislative aides to omit or disguise these mandatory meetings from representatives’ calendars.”
The lawsuit also argues that House Democrats’ use of Signal, an encrypted smartphone messaging system in which messages can be automatically deleted, also violates the state’s open meeting and public records laws. According to the legal action, representatives used Signal to discuss witness testimony and how each lawmaker would vote on bills.
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