Flash Update: Muni Court fairness bill vetoed

Criminal Defense Attorney Casey Krizman says Gov. Jared Polis gives weak reasons for vetoing HB 1147. The bill that would rein in municipal courts that have run amok ensures that sentences handed down in those courts are equal across the state. But Polis relies on phony reasoning put forth by city councils that want to criminalize poverty. Rather than address the root causes of homelessness, they are setting ridiculously high sentences for petty theft and trespassing. Crimes that the state says are punishable by 10 days in jail are getting 365 days in jail in some municipalities (looking at you, Aurora).