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Chief Justice urges formation of statewide judicial security task force after multiple violent incidents
Summary
Chief Justice said security concerns — including shootings, bomb threats and attacks on lawyers and judges — emerged in every district visit and proposed a task force to develop standards, training, possible statutory clarifications, and stable funding; she requested a modest analyst post and suggested cash‑fund refinancing to avoid general‑fund impact.
Chief Justice Marquez told the Joint Budget Committee that courthouse and probation security are a pressing statewide issue and described multiple recent incidents that, she said, illustrate a pattern of heightened risk to judges, staff and members of the public.
Marquez said that across visits to all 23 judicial districts she saw aging courthouses, unsecured parking, broken emergency infrastructure and several violent incidents, including a witnessed shooting outside the El Paso County Courthouse, a suicide at the Lindsay Flanagan Courthouse and a bomb threat at an Alamosa courthouse. "My greatest nightmare as chief justice is that I'm gonna lose a judicial officer, an employee, or a member of the public visiting our courthouses to violence on my watch," she said, arguing the state should take a proactive approach rather than react after a tragedy.
What she proposed: a statewide task force, personally chaired by the chief justice, to identify minimum physical security standards, training needs, potential statutory clarifications about county versus state responsibilities, and ways to stabilize funding for courthouse security. The department asked for a modest analyst to coordinate data, draft recommendations and help with potential legislation; they proposed cash‑fund refinancing to make the position neutral to the general fund.
Committee response: Members encouraged immediate district‑level task forces and partnerships with county officials and law enforcement while noting some districts already have effective local task forces (Weld County was cited as a model). Committee members asked about using cash funds via supplemental authority to get started sooner; Amanda Bickel (JBC staff) said the supplemental deadline had passed but the committee could choose to initiate one.
Next step: Judicial and JBC staff agreed to continue follow‑up on funding sources and the logistics of standing up an analyst position, including whether a cash‑funded supplemental could be initiated.
