James Holmes, the alleged Aurora Theater shooter, will enter a plea tomorrow. He is expected to plead not guilty by reason of insanity. The defense filed a lot of motions objecting to the procedure that will be followed, but the Judge denied them (Order here.)

Today the court issued its proposed advisement form for entering plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. You can read it here.

Of note, is paragraph 13, which will require Holmes, if asked, to submit to a "narcoanalytic interview." [More...]

Colorado's Amendment 64 Implementation Task Force submitted its report and recommendations yesterday on how to implement the Amendment which legalizes personal adult possession of marijuana.

Look for high taxes and low limits on what out of state residents can buy.

Thanks to Westword for making the full 102 page report available. I have uploaded it here.

Pot tourism may be coming to Colorado. The state's Marijuana Task Force today approved purchases at retail stores by out of state visitors. The quantity will be limited to reduce incentive for "smurfing" and resale on the black market.

The task force hearing minutes are here. [More...]

After hours of debate yesterday, the Democrat- controlled House in Colorado passed four gun control bills on a voice vote:

• House Bill 1224: Limits ammunition magazines to 15 rounds.
• House Bill 1229: Requires universal background checks for gun sales or transfers.
• House Bill 1228: Requires gun customers to pay the costs of their criminal background checks by the Bureau of Investigation.
• House Bill 1226: Outlaws concealed-carry permit holders to pack heat in campus buildings.

The official vote will be Monday. The bills then move to the Senate. [More...]

To the East Cost Power Companies, who are trying to restore power to thousands or millions from last nights blizzard Nemo on the East Coast"

"Can't start a fire without a spark."

Here's hoping they get it turned back on soon. Living in the dark is fun at night-- not so much in the day. [More...]

The Colorado Sheriff's Association, which represents Colorado's 62 elected County Sheriffs, has come out swinging against President Obama's executive orders on gun control. The Sheriffs also oppose assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazine bans. Their position paper is here.

The Sheriff's say (and I agree) the tragedies of Sandy Hook and Aurora, Colorado should not be used as a "backdrop" for gun control laws.

CSOC will not waver on our defense of the Constitution, and will stand to preserve every constituent's right to possess a firearm. We believe the Second Amendment is no less important than the other nine Amendments contained in the Bill of Rights.[More...]

JonBenet Ramsey was 6 years old when her body was discovered in her home on December 26, 1996. Today she’d be 22. No one has been charged with her murder.

There were problems from the outset with the collection of evidence and a compromised crime scene and misreporting by the media, which were compounded by infighting between the Boulder police and prosecutors. In 1998, the Governor stepped in, and experienced prosecutors from adjoining counties joined Hunter’s team in presenting the case to a Boulder grand jury. [More...]

Update 1/11/13: The Judge continued the arraignment until March.

Update: The Judge has written a 62 page order finding probable cause and stating tomorrow's hearing, which previously was set to be a status hearing or arraignment, is now procedurally an arraignment, even though the defense is unlikely to enter a plea.

The hearing scheduled for January 11, 2013, at 9:00a.m. is HEREBY converted to an arraignment. This Court recognizes that the defense, in their Objection to Expanded Media Coverage (D-25), is requesting that the matter be set for a status hearing. This Court believes that procedurally it should be an arraignment, but notes, based on D-25, that the defense is likely to request a continuance of this arraignment and that the People should be on notice for Victims' Bill of Rights purposes.

[More...]

A new report produced for the European Union finds Europeans face a significant threat to individual privacy from the ability of the U.S. Government to spy on material stored in the cloud without a warrant, as a result of the renewed FISA Act amendments.

The report, by the Centre for the Study of Conflicts, Liberty and Security, says that FISA allows “purely political surveillance on foreigners' data” if it is stored using U.S. cloud services like those provided by Google, Microsoft and Facebook.

The full report is here. [More...]

A week-long hearing begins today for Aurora theater shooting suspect James Holmes.

It is both a preliminary hearing and a "proof evident/presumption great" (bail) hearing, which the court refers to as a "preliminary/proof evident" hearing, for short. (No, bail is not really on the table, but the Judge does have to make findings regarding it.)

The defense received permission last week to subpoena and call two witnesses at the hearing, over the objection of prosecutors. The Court's order, which nicely explains the purposes and dual character of the hearing is here. [More...]

Cheyenne Mountain Shooting Complex, Colorado's largest shooting range ever will open Jan. 23 in El Paso County (near Colorado Springs.)

County support services director Imad Karaki says:

"This is the largest shooting complex in the state of Colorado," Karaki said. "The location here is incredible. It's about safety and fun. We also want serious hunters to come out here."

The range will rent firearms and sell ammunition. [More....]

Sonny Archuleta, 33, was reportedly on a four day meth binge when he shot and killed three family members inside their home. Sonny Archuleta is also dead. Hostage negotiators were unable to reason with him.

"Sonny, come downstairs. Sonny, we have your wife. Sonny, come out and we'll get you the help you need," [witness] Bustios recalled police telling the man.

We know you've been up for four days. What's done is done. Come out and we'll get you some help," Williams quoted police as calling out on the bullhorn.

Sonny was a very religious person. This is his Twitter page. Archuleta's wife, Stephanie Philbrook Archuleta, who jumped out a window and escaped, told police her husband is mentally ill. [More...]