In an email to staff on September 10, now-former 11th Judicial District Attorney Linda Stanley stated, “I really thought the decision would have come either during the CDAC conference or maybe even much later. But I was wrong. I just received the decision that I have been disbarred. In my opinion, this was the ultimate goal all along. Either force me to step down so the Governor can appoint a Democrat or take away everything I have worked for.”
On November 1, Stanley was disbarred by the Colorado Supreme Court, and Republican Jeff Lindsey was sworn into office early by Chief District Judge Amanda Hunter. In many ways, the email from Stanley to her staff is a fitting analogy of four years of Stanley repeatedly being wrong about every important decision or statement she made as District Attorney.
When she initially ran for office in 2020, Stanley claimed that she would run a fair and non-political office that would uphold justice and the rule of law in the 11th Judicial District, which includes Custer, Fremont, Chaffee, and Park Counties. She had made these statements in the face of opposition from three out of the four Republican Sheriffs in the District who had claimed Stanley not only had no experience as a prosecutor but who had already run afoul of the Colorado Supreme Court. The Republican Sheriffs were broadly mocked for these statements, and voters overwhelmingly elected Stanley in 2020.
Now, after four years of chaos in the DA’s office, the Republican Sheriff’s warnings about Stanley have proven to be correct, and Stanley to have been wrong about her experience, her leadership, and her ability to continue being an attorney.
Now, the experienced prosecutor Jeff Lindsey will have to take over an office that Stanley’s inept leadership has gutted, and the extent of the wreckage she left behind will only become apparent in the next few months. Already, there is over $100,000 of expenses Stanley improperly used to defend herself during hearings in Denver. There is a lack of staff capable of working on cases. Plus, Lindsey has a backlog of cases and discoveries that need to be addressed.
However, the County Commissioners of the 11th Judicial District have been working with Jeff Lindsey, approving more money for the office and pledging to help claw back funds from Stanley. Lindsey has already shown that he understands how to run a DA’s office and is building partnerships to restore justice to the 11th Judicial District.
The Tribune will continue to cover the rebuilding of the DA’s Office.
– Jordan Hedberg