Colorado Supreme Court agrees to review case on state’s long-settled rules for river access

Dec. 12, 2022 (DENVER)— Attorney General Phil Weiser today released the following statement regarding the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision to review Hill v Warsewa:

“Recreation on Colorado’s rivers is vital to Colorado’s economy and our way of life. For decades, Colorado’s legislature and executive branches have adhered to the established and existing legal policy to govern river access and have declined opportunities to alter it. In this case, our office is doing our duty to defend Colorado’s legal policy. As for any possible change to that policy, it is the province of the political branches, not the courts, to do so. Under Colorado’s current legal framework, property owners, water users, and leaders in the recreation industry have worked together to increase public access to rivers for recreation and to manage this important resource. Public calls to alter Colorado’s existing policy should be addressed by the political branches, not the courts.”

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