Supreme Court

C.R.S. tit. 13, art. 2

in effect

C.R.S. § 13-2-101 Terms of supreme court

13-2-101. Terms of supreme court. In each year there shall be three terms of the supreme court: One beginning on the second Monday in September, another beginning on the second Monday in January, and another beginning on the second Monday in April.

C.R.S. § 13-2-102 Special terms

13-2-102. Special terms. Special terms of said court may be called under such general rules and regulations as may be adopted by the court.

C.R.S. § 13-2-103 Open sessions - oral arguments

13-2-103. Open sessions - oral arguments. The court shall be in open session as often as practicable during each of its terms to hear and determine matters and causes which may come before it, and, at the discretion of the court, oral arguments may be allowed on final hearing in any cause on the request of any party thereto.

C.R.S. § 13-2-104 Quorum - adjournment

13-2-104. Quorum - adjournment. If a quorum of the justices of the supreme court is not present on the first day of any term, the court shall stand adjourned from day to day until a quorum attends; and said court, if a quorum is present, may adjourn to any day specified, as may be deemed advisable.

C.R.S. § 13-2-105 Continuance of causes

13-2-105. Continuance of causes. All matters, suits, and causes undisposed of at any term of the supreme court shall stand continued to the next succeeding term.

C.R.S. § 13-2-106 Process from supreme court

13-2-106. Process from supreme court. All process issued out of the supreme court shall bear teste in the name of the chief justice, be signed by the clerk of the court, sealed with its seal, and made returnable according to law or the rules and orders of the court and shall be executed by the officer to whom the same is directed.

C.R.S. § 13-2-107 Judge shall not act as attorney

13-2-107. Judge shall not act as attorney. No justice of the supreme court shall practice as an attorney-at-law in any of the courts of the state, nor give advice touching any cause pending or to be brought therein.

C.R.S. § 13-2-108 Rules of civil procedure

13-2-108. Rules of civil procedure. The supreme court has the power to prescribe, by general rules, for the courts of record in the state of Colorado the practice and procedure in civil actions and all forms in connection therewith; except that no rules shall be made by the supreme court permitting or allowing trial judges to comment to the jury on the evidence given on the trial. Such rules shall neither abridge, enlarge, nor modify the substantive rights of any litigants. The supreme court shall fix the dates when such rules take effect and the extent to which they apply to proceedings then pending, and thereafter all laws in conflict therewith shall be of no further force or effect.

C.R.S. § 13-2-109 Rules of criminal procedure

13-2-109. Rules of criminal procedure. (1) The supreme court has the power to prescribe, from time to time, rules of pleading, practice, and procedure with respect to all proceedings in all criminal cases in all courts of the state of Colorado. (2) The supreme court shall fix the dates when such rules take effect and the extent to which they apply to proceedings then pending.

C.R.S. § 13-2-110 Court to prescribe rules and forms

13-2-110. Court to prescribe rules and forms. The supreme court from time to time may institute rules of practice, and prescribe forms of process to be used, and regulations for the keeping of the records and proceedings of the court, not inconsistent with the constitution or laws of this state.

C.R.S. § 13-2-111 Employees - compensation

13-2-111. Employees - compensation. (1) The supreme court may appoint one clerk, two deputy clerks, one librarian of the supreme court library, one reporter and an assistant reporter of its decisions, two bailiffs, and such additional clerical assistants as may be necessary. (2) Each justice of the supreme court may appoint one or more law clerks and such clerical personnel as may be necessary to assist him in fulfilling the duties of his office. (3) All employees appointed under the provisions of subsections (1) and (2) of this section shall be appointed and compensated pursuant to the provisions of section 13-3-105.

C.R.S. § 13-2-112 Duties of bailiff

13-2-112. Duties of bailiff. (1) The bailiff appointed shall attend upon the court and the judges thereof. It is the duty of the bailiff to assist the librarian of the supreme court, when not otherwise engaged. (2) In case of the absence of the bailiff, the court or judges may appoint some suitable person to act in his stead, and the person so appointed shall perform like services and shall receive the same salary as the bailiff.

C.R.S. § 13-2-113 Fees of clerk of supreme court

13-2-113. Fees of clerk of supreme court. Except for the court of appeals docket fees, the supreme court is authorized to fix such fees for the services of the clerk of said court, in causes pending therein, as to the court seems proper, such fees to be paid by the parties to a cause pursuant to law and the order of the court.

C.R.S. § 13-2-114 Seal of supreme court

13-2-114. Seal of supreme court. The seal of the supreme court shall be one and three-quarter inches in diameter, with a device inscribed thereon as follows: Upon a ground of white the figure of justice sitting faced to the left, but with body and face inclined to the front, arms outstretched, and holding in her left hand the scales and in her right the sword of justice. Upon the left, and just above the ground, shall appear the rising sun, with golden rays proceeding therefrom. On the right, and resting upon the ground, a shield, having inscribed thereon the coat of arms of the state of Colorado, the upper part of the shield leaning upon the figure of justice; upon the right of the shield a vine extending from the ground to the top of the shield; above the inscription and around the edge of the seal shall be the words "supreme court"; below the inscription and around the edge of the seal shall be the words, "State of Colorado", engraved thereon.

C.R.S. § 13-2-115 Pensions of supreme court judges

13-2-115. Pensions of supreme court judges. (1) Any person who has served as a judge of the supreme court of Colorado for not less than ten years, who has ceased to hold said office, and who has reached the age of sixty-five years is entitled to receive an annual pension during the remainder of his life in the amount of one-fourth of the annual salary of an associate judge of the supreme court. If such judge has served twenty years or more and has attained the age of seventy-two years, the annual pension shall be one-third of the annual salary of an associate judge of the supreme court. All pensions due under this section shall be paid monthly out of the general fund of this state. (2) Upon the death of any judge, eligible to receive an annual pension pursuant to this section, who leaves a surviving spouse of at least sixty-five years of age to whom he has been married for at least twenty years, such spouse is entitled to receive a pension during the remainder of such spouse's life, or as long as such spouse remains unmarried, in the amount of seven thousand dollars per year, payable monthly from the general fund of this state. (3) It is the intent of this section to limit the benefits payable under this section to persons, or their widows, who have terminated their service on the supreme court prior to May 16, 1974, or whose election or appointment to the supreme court took place prior to May 16, 1974. The retirement benefits payable to judges of the supreme court who are appointed subsequent to May 16, 1974, shall be as otherwise provided by law.

C.R.S. § 13-2-116 Disposition of law books

13-2-116. Disposition of law books. (1) The state librarian and all other officers who receive for public use from any other state or territory, or any officer thereof, or any other person any books of judicial reports or public statutes or any other books of law shall forthwith cause one copy of such books or statutes, and all of such books of reports, and other books of law to be deposited in the library of the supreme court, there to remain. (2) The supreme court librarian shall furnish the supreme court annually, as the court may direct, a report designating any such copies of judicial reports, statutes, or books of law which, in the librarian's opinion, can be properly removed from the supreme court library and disposed of. (3) The supreme court may take action pursuant to such report by ordering any copies of such judicial reports, statutes, or books of law designated therein disposed of in such manner as it shall determine.

C.R.S. § 13-2-117 Librarian to have charge of library

13-2-117. Librarian to have charge of library. The librarian of the supreme court, under the direction of the court, shall have custody of the books pertaining to the library of the supreme court.

C.R.S. § 13-2-118 Duties of librarian

13-2-118. Duties of librarian. It is the duty of the librarian to keep his office open every day in the year, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays excepted, from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. of each day, so that the public may have access to the library, under such rules and regulations as the supreme court may prescribe.

C.R.S. § 13-2-119 Disposition of fees

13-2-119. Disposition of fees. (1) At the end of each month, all fees collected by the clerk of the supreme court during said month, except fees for admission to the bar and attorney registration fees, shall be deposited by the clerk with the state treasurer, by whom the same shall be kept separate and apart from all other funds in the state treasurer's hands. (2) (Deleted by amendment, L. 98, p. 685, § 1, effective July 1, 1998.)

C.R.S. § 13-2-120 Supreme court library fund

13-2-120. Supreme court library fund. The funds so set apart, together with the balance of the fund now in the state treasurer's hands and designated as the "supreme court library fund", shall be known as the "supreme court library fund", and the supreme court is authorized to use said fund for the purchase of books for the supreme court library, for paying the expenses of binding briefs and other documents for use in said library, for the purchase and maintenance of bookcases, catalogues, furniture, fixtures, and other equipment for said library, and for such other library service expenses as the chief justice deems necessary.

C.R.S. § 13-2-121 Manner of disbursement

13-2-121. Manner of disbursement. The state controller is authorized to draw warrants upon said fund, from time to time upon certificate, of the sums required for the purposes specified in section 13-2-120 under the signature of the chief justice or a majority of the judges of the supreme court, and the state treasurer is directed to pay the same out of said fund.

C.R.S. § 13-2-122 Supreme court and court of appeals opinions published

13-2-122. Supreme court and court of appeals opinions published. (1) The opinions of the supreme court of the state of Colorado and of the court of appeals must be published in volumes of the size, as nearly as may be, as present volumes of the Colorado reports, and containing not less than six hundred fifty pages each. (2) (a) In addition to the publishing required pursuant to subsection (1) of this section, and except for unpublished opinions described in subsection (2)(b) of this section, on or before March 1, 2024, but no earlier than July 1, 2023, the judicial department shall publish online, in a searchable format, and make available free of charge, every opinion of the supreme court of the state of Colorado and of the court of appeals. The judicial department and the general assembly shall each include a link to the opinions web page in a conspicuous place on their websites. (b) An opinion of the supreme court of the state of Colorado not published pursuant to subsection (1) of this section and any court of appeals opinion not designated for official publication pursuant to the Colorado appellate rules is not required to be published online pursuant to this subsection (2).

C.R.S. § 13-2-123 Duty of reporter

13-2-123. Duty of reporter. It is the duty of the reporter of the decisions of said courts, within four months after a sufficient number of opinions to constitute a volume of the prescribed size have been delivered to him, to compile and prepare the same for publication, together with such other proceedings of the supreme court as the justices thereof may designate for insertion in such volume, with syllabi, title pages, digest, and table of cases reported.

C.R.S. § 13-2-124 Publication of reports

13-2-124. Publication of reports. (1) In lieu of the publication of the opinions of the supreme court and the court of appeals pursuant to section 13-2-122 (1), the supreme court may designate the published volumes of the decisions of the supreme court and the court of appeals, as the same are published by any person, firm, or corporation, to be the official reports of the decisions of the supreme court and the court of appeals. Any publication so designated as the official reports may include both the opinions of the supreme court and the court of appeals in the same volume. (2) When any law of this state refers to the reports of the supreme court of the state of Colorado, said law shall be construed as referring to the reports in which are also contained the reported opinions of the court of appeals created pursuant to article 4 of this title. (3) All books, both bound and unbound, and matrices covering the reports of the supreme court and the court of appeals which were published prior to July 1, 1982, and which are in the custody of the supreme court shall remain in the custody of the supreme court for the purpose of sale or replacement, and the supreme court may fix the price at which the prior official reports of the supreme court and the court of appeals are to be sold to the public. The supreme court may replace any lost or destroyed books free of cost if such books were originally distributed free of cost. The supreme court may authorize the reprinting of any prior volumes, the replacement supply of which has become exhausted or insufficient. The supreme court may also contract for the storage of such books and to sell, give away, destroy, or otherwise dispose of any excess books, bound or unbound, which it deems not needed to provide a reasonable replacement supply.

C.R.S. § 13-2-125 Purchase, distribution, and sale of reports

13-2-125. Purchase, distribution, and sale of reports. (1) Upon the publication of each volume of the reports of the supreme court and the court of appeals under contract with the judicial department, the publisher shall be responsible for distributing as many copies as are required to meet the needs of the state in accordance with a list provided by the librarian of the supreme court. Costs of mailing incurred in such distribution shall be borne by the state from appropriations made to the judicial department. (2) The distribution pursuant to subsection (1) of this section shall include the following: (a) State and territorial libraries, as directed by the librarian of the supreme court; (b) The library of congress and of the United States supreme court; (c) The attorney general and secretary of state of Colorado, and officials of the executive branch as required; (d) District attorneys and judges of Colorado courts of record; (e) The justices and reporter of the Colorado supreme court; (f) The law library of the university of Colorado, and the library of any other accredited law school in Colorado; (g) Copies for use in the supreme court library and by the general assembly; (h) Copies to be used for exchange purposes in the maintenance of the supreme court library, as directed by the librarian of the supreme court; (i) Office of legislative legal services. (3) All copies distributed to offices and agencies of the state of Colorado are at all times the property of the state and not the personal property of the incumbents of the respective offices and shall be so marked as the property of the state. This shall not apply to the justices and reporter of the supreme court as to volumes prepared during their tenure of office. (4) The publisher shall sell the reports of the supreme court and the court of appeals to the public at a price which is set at the cost of the report plus a twenty percent markup for handling. The publisher shall retain the markup charges and remit to the state the costs of the reports sold as reimbursement to the general fund for payment by the state of the expenses of publication thereof. The unsold copies of all reports shall remain the property of the state and shall be returned by the publisher to the secretary of state upon the termination of the contract for publication. Until otherwise designated by law or order of the chief justice of the Colorado supreme court, the secretary of state shall be the legal custodian of the reports of the supreme court and the court of appeals. The secretary of state shall sell any remaining copies of such reports to the public at such cost plus twenty percent and transmit the sale proceeds to the state treasurer for deposit to the credit of the general fund.

C.R.S. § 13-2-126 Reports and session laws furnished

13-2-126. Reports and session laws furnished. (1) The legal custodian of publications of the state of Colorado is directed to furnish to the law library of the university of Colorado free of charge from existing stocks if feasible and in any event as such publications are from time to time issued: (a) Thirty copies each of the reports of the supreme court of the state of Colorado; and (b) Fifty copies of any published regulations and decisions of the various administrative agencies of the state of Colorado; and (b.5) Such number of copies, not to exceed fifty, of the session laws of Colorado as the law librarian for the university of Colorado may from time to time request; and (c) Five copies each of the Colorado yearbook; and (d) Two copies each of published legislative journals, published opinions and reports of the attorney general, and printed briefs and abstracts of record of the supreme court of Colorado. (2) The law library is authorized to exchange any or all of the above publications for like publications of other jurisdictions.

C.R.S. § 13-2-127 Method for review

13-2-127. Method for review. Appellate review by the supreme court of any action or proceeding of an inferior tribunal, whether such action or proceeding is civil, criminal, special, statutory, common law, or otherwise, shall be prescribed by rule of the supreme court, except as otherwise provided by law.

Source: Open US Law by Vaquill AI (CC BY 4.0)URL: https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/images/olls/crs2024-title-13.docxFetched: 10/6/2026