Colorado v. Justice
Annotate this CaseDefendant James Justice was charged with multiple offenses in four felony cases. The State extended him a global plea bargain offer, but he rejected it. Unhappy that the State would not sweeten the offer, Justice filed a motion asking the district court to compel mediation. The court granted the motion and ordered mediation over the State's objection. As part of its order, the court required good-faith participation and threatened to impose sanctions for lack of compliance. The State then brought petitions invoking the Colorado Supreme Court's original jurisdiction in two of the cases, and the Supreme Court issued rules to show cause. The Supreme Court determined the district court lacked the authority to require the parties to mediate in these criminal cases, and because the mediation order arguably involved the court in the plea bargaining process, the district court erred.
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