Deal Reached On Justice Center Names

The Denver Post

Denver City Council members appear to have worked out a deal that will ease ethnic tensions over naming rights at the new Justice Center complex.

Much of the wrangling over how to resolve the issue occurred in a meeting Friday with Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper and the three Latino council members: Judy Montero, Rick Garcia and Paul Lopez.

During that meeting, Hickenlooper said he would support a push to name the jury room in the new courthouse after retired District Judge Roger Cisneros.

That move would free up Council President Jeanne Robb to proceed with her effort to have Hickenlooper name the plaza at the Justice Center after former Denver District Attorney Dale Tooley.

Montero expects two proclamations to pass at a meeting tonight, one in support of naming the jury room for Cisneros and another in support of naming the plaza after Tooley.

On Wednesday, Montero put the brakes on an effort by Robb to urge the mayor to name the plaza after Tooley.

At that time, Montero said she did not think Latinos had been given enough time to weigh in on the process.

She said naming the jury room after Cisneros made sense.

"It is a place where they weigh out fairness," Montero said. "It is a neutral place and a positive space where justice will be served."