Boulder Legal Issues Blog

Colorado and Washington legalized adult possession of marijuana in 2012. Since then, a large majority of states have legalized weed, either entirely or for medical use. Still others have decriminalized the drug, meaning that possession results in a fine instead of incarceration. Included among the fully legalized states are California and Illinois, two of the most...

As the nation struggles with COVID-19, there has been increasing pressure on families. People are stuck spending almost all of their time with family members. Economic distress is rampant. If domestic violence is already present in the relationship, victims may find few opportunities for respite. They may have little chance to call for help....

On Thanksgiving 2009, James K. killed his wife and two teen daughters. In his defense, the man had been under substantial stress. Several months earlier, his wife had left him and taken the children with her. Also that year, James had lost his job and been forced to move in with his parents. Did...

We have all seen some so-called psychology tests that aren’t worth the time spent to take them. They appear in magazines or online quizzes. They aren’t intended to diagnose mental health problems. They’re meant for fun, or whatever insight you may find.  There have been a lot of psychological tests over the decades, and...

As protests continue across the U.S. and even globally, many experts have come forward with ideas for how to improve the criminal justice system so that it isn’t so unfair to people of color. Harsh police tactics, over-policing in minority neighborhoods, racial profiling and other issues have brought us to a point where it’s...

If divorce were an entirely negative experience, people wouldn’t get divorced. For people who have tried everything to save a marriage, though, divorce can provide a profound sense of relief. If you’re considering divorce, you may want to weigh these nine positive aspects of the process: Divorce can be quite liberating. Think about the relief you...

Many people in Colorado have certain preconceived notions about the end of a marriage. Often, these notions include beliefs that a divorce is always contentious and requires airing out conflict in a public setting. Fortunately, this is a misconception, and many couples are able to resolve their issues through mediation with relatively little conflict. In mediation,...

A “deepfake” is an image, audio or video file that has been altered to make it appear that it is something other than what it is. Software to alter files is increasingly available to hobbyists and others online, and that may mean that it will soon become prevalent in court cases. Deepfakes can be...

When a 15-year-old boy said that Pamela Kay Coke had sexually assaulted him, he alleged that it had occurred in November 2018. He even showed the police text messages from the woman, including one that seemed like an apology. When the police contacted Coke at her office, they were very polite. They made it...

Federal tax laws that went into effect in early 2019 changed the way alimony, or maintenance, is treated for tax purposes. For decades, payers of alimony could claim the payments as a federal tax deduction, while recipients of alimony had to claim the payments as taxable income. That situation has been reversed for divorces...