Colorado lawmakers push for more transparency in judiciary

A transparency showdown is looming between Colorado’s judicial branch and the state Legislature.

Some lawmakers say the courts aren’t transparent enough about things like how much is spent defending people who can’t afford lawyers.

A bipartisan trio of lawmakers announced this week they’re proposing a bill to make more records publicly available, including on cases handled by the public defender’s office. The announcement comes just as the Judicial Department is in the process of adopting new rules over what records are considered public.

For example, Democratic Rep. Rhonda Fields wants to know how much was spent by attorneys representing James Holmes, who killed 12 moviegoers and wounded dozens others in her suburban Denver district in 2012.

The judiciary will hold public comment Oct. 1 on the proposed rules.