The United States District Court
District of Colorado

Absent legislation funding Judiciary operations being passed by Congress and approved by the President, the Judiciary will enter a lapse of appropriations effective Monday, October 20, 2025. Pursuant to Volume 13, Chapter 2, § 230.50 of the Guide to Judiciary Policy and to avoid a violation of the Antideficiency Act, the Judiciary must reduce its operations and incur only obligations and expenditures necessary to perform "excepted activities." General Order 2025-3 defines excepted and nonexcepted activities for the District of Colorado. Unless ordered otherwise by the presiding judicial officer, all cases, hearings, and trials (criminal and civil) will proceed as normal. Some Clerk's Office staff will be furloughed which may result in longer than usual response times from the Clerk's Office. Click HERE to read the General Order. 

The United States District Court for the District of Colorado extends the initial October 10th deadline for public commentary regarding proposed amendments to its local rules. All comments, to include those on the additional proposed special amendments, may now be submitted no later than Saturday, November 1, 2025. The proposed amendments can be found by visiting the local rules page on the U.S. District Court website, under the "Local Rules of Practice Open for Comment" column, HERE. Please e-mail comments to LocalRule_Comments@cod.uscourts.gov and be sure to identify the specific local rule amendment to which your comment(s) relate.

With the implementation of General Order 2025-2 last week, which establishes new procedures for access and management of sealed and restricted documents via the Secure Document Storage (SDS) system, the United States District Court for the District of Colorado announces additional proposed special amendments to its local rules and invites public comment. Like the original set of proposed amendments, the SDS-related amendments can also be accessed by visiting the Local Rules page on this website, HERE. All comments on SDS-related amendments must be submitted no later than Saturday, November 1, 2025. Please email comments to LocalRule_Comments@cod.uscourts.gov and be sure to identify the specific local rule amendment to which your comment(s) relate.

On September 24, 2025, Chief Judge Brimmer entered General Order 2025-2 regarding procedures for access and management of sealed and restricted documents (hereinafter referred to as "sealed documents"). Effective immediately, sealed documents will continue to be filed in CM/ECF under existing procedures but will no longer be accessible or viewable by electronic means. Because sealed documents filed in CM/ECF will no longer be accessible or viewable electronically, service cannot be accomplished through CM/ECF. Instead, parties will have to serve sealed documents by other appropriate means as provided by the Federal Rules of Procedure. The Court will serve sealed documents in paper by US mail. A party with the right to access a sealed document in a case who requires a copy of a sealed document must contact the Clerk's Office. Requests for paper copies of sealed documents will be subject to the current docket copy fee rate. For more information and a copy of the General Order please click here.
Any questions about the filing of and access to sealed documents should be directed to the Clerk's Office at 303-844-3433.

"Ethics Review: A Survey of Recent Proposed and Adopted Changes to the Colorado Rules of Professional Conduct"
When: Tuesday, October 21, 2025, 12 noon-1:15 p.m.
Where: Arraj Courthouse, 901 19th Street, Denver
2 ethics/general CLE credits requested.

The Colorado Rules of Professional Conduct provide the standards of professional responsibility for attorneys practicing in the District of Colorado, see D.C.Colo.LAttyR 2, and staying up to date is vital for federal practitioners. This presentation will discuss how the Rules of Professional Conduct are created, the role of the Standing Committee on the Rules of Professional Conduct, and the changes and additions to the Rules over the years since we emerged from COVID-19, including approved and pending changes to Rule 1.16 (Duty to investigate suspicious circumstances, Rule 1.5 (Duty to communicate in writing the basis or rate of fee and the scope of representation), and the use of artificial intelligence (Preamble and Scope; Rule 1.1 and proposed rule 1.19). Click HERE  to register for this program.

Courtroom A-201, Alfred A. Arraj U.S. Courthouse
United States Bankruptcy Judge Joseph G. Rosania, Jr.
The U.S. District Court conducts ceremonies for those individuals requesting a name change as part of their naturalization process to become a U.S. Citizen. All questions regarding the naturalization process should be directed to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) at 1-800-375-5283, 12484 E Weaver Pl, Centennial, CO 80111, or contact the USCIS here.

The Forum—Thriving in Times of Change: Strategies for Enhancing Professional Presence, Communicating Constructively Across Diverse Viewpoints and Excelling in Stressful Times.
When: Friday, November 7, 2025, 1:30-4:30 p.m.
Where: Denver Westin Downtown, 1672 Lawrence Street Denver
1 ethics/4 general CLE credits granted.

The Forum provides an inspiring, interactive, and collaborative setting in which to address challenges that we face in the legal profession. It is intended to promote deeper awareness and understanding of ourselves, and to offer real-life tools for managing difficult issues that often receive less attention in traditional legal education and conversation among lawyers. Click HERE to register for this program.