DENVER — Colorado Republicans who want to depose state party chairman Dave Williams can proceed with a meeting called for that purpose, a district court judge ruled late Friday.
Arapahoe County District Court Judge Thomas W. Henderson said in a five-page order that the court lacks jurisdiction to decide the party's internal dispute over attempts to oust its elected leaders, including Williams, citing Colorado law and prior court rulings.
In response, El Paso County Vice Chair Todd Watkins told Colorado Politics that organizers plan to move ahead with a meeting scheduled for Aug. 24 at a church in Brighton, where Williams' detractors plan to vote on whether to replace Williams and his lieutenants, state Vice Chair Hope Sheppelman and party Secretary Anna Ferguson.
"We always knew we were right. Now, we have a court behind us. A court that Dave brought in to try to quash us," Watkins said in a text message. "Dave’s arguments were not only tangled and warped, they were fallacious. Dave tried to confuse and mislead the court. We’ve been honest and straightforward from the outset."
Added Watkins: "Dave has tried every bully tactic against us, up to and including lawfare. He has been losing at every turn. We will hold a perfectly legal and legitimate meeting on Aug. 24 and conduct the business we said we would conduct."
