Attorney General Weiser details water fights, consumer cases and 51 federal suits before the judiciary committee

Attorney General Weiser told the Joint Judiciary Committee on Feb. 4 that his office is balancing multiple high‑profile priorities — from negotiating Colorado River issues to suing federal agencies — and asked legislators to consider staffing needs that follow from that work.

Weiser described interstate water negotiations and litigation, including steps the state has taken to protect compact rights against proposals he said could impose eminent domain on Coloradans in northeast Colorado. He said the state is prepared for litigation if the seven‑state talks break down and said the U.S. Supreme Court may be asked to weigh in.

Why it matters: The attorney general framed his work as protecting Colorado’s legal and financial interests, telling the committee that his office has initiated roughly 51 lawsuits related to federal actions and that additional litigation staff support — $600,000 recently approved — helped the state “protect close to $900,000,000” in funds that were withheld, he said. Those funds include federal education, mental‑health and other program dollars.

Weiser gave examples of recent consumer‑protection work, including actions that challenged the Kroger‑Albertsons merger and alleged unlawful agreements not to recruit workers. “We investigated that merger… and after unfavorable decisions, Kroger and Albertsons abandoned their merger,” he said, adding that the office discovered a separate no‑poach agreement that is still being litigated.

He also outlined public‑safety priorities: expanding training and mental‑health supports for peace officers and providing legal resources to rural district attorneys. Weiser urged lawmakers not to undercut public‑safety investments in a tight budget year.

The committee pressed Weiser on several topics. Senators and representatives asked about the department’s role in advising other agencies on information sharing and on a 2024 law that some members say has produced unintended releases of defendants found incompetent to stand trial. Weiser said his office will work with the governor and the General Assembly “to address this issue as soon as possible.”

On concerns about a parole risk‑scoring tool, Representative Kelty told the attorney general he had been told the Department of Corrections’ assessment system produced a “98% error rate” and charged that proprietary software and copyright claims were being used to withhold reports. Weiser said the parole board, not his office, manages parole decisions and indicated that the parole board and parole‑management bodies would be questioned in upcoming hearings.

Next steps: Weiser offered to provide follow‑up information and said his office would continue to brief the committee as litigation and negotiations proceed. The committee scheduled further sessions on related topics, including parole and competency issues.