Judge blocks meeting to oust Colorado GOP chair

DENVER (KDVR) — A judge has blocked Colorado Republicans from meeting on Saturday in an effort to oust Chairman Dave Williams.

An Arapahoe County district judge on Friday blocked the meeting at the request of Williams — yet he was ordered to pay a $1,000 security bond before the order is enforced.

Some state Republicans have been calling for weeks for Williams to resign after he came under fire for anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and unprecedented political endorsements on the party’s behalf.

Nancy Pallozzi, chairwoman of the Jefferson County Republican Party, was censured by her county’s executive committee in June after she called for a meeting to put Williams’ ouster in motion. Pallozzi made the calls through official and media channels, but party members disputed whether she could make such a request and started an internal challenge.

Political rhetoric will amplify as election season progresses: analysts

The state party’s executive committee declared the meeting illegal, but Pallozzi and her codefendant in this case, Todd Watkins of the El Paso County party, continued to publicize the special meeting.

While Judge Thomas W. Henderson did not stop Pallozzi and Watkins from using official channels on the issue, he said he agreed with Williams that holding the meeting on Saturday could cause “harm” to the party should the temporary restraining order not be issued.

“That harm would be immediate because, as Plaintiff has articulated at length in his Motion, the leadership of the Colorado Republican Party would be called into question, leaving the party in disarray roughly one hundred (100) days before election day on November 5, 2024,” the judge wrote.

RTD police chief on leave, organization says no further comment

Assuming Williams pays the $1,000 bond, Pallozzi and Watkins will be blocked from holding the meeting without proper authorization per the party’s bylaws and a final decision of the executive committee.

The order is in place for 14 days or until a motion on a pending preliminary injunction is heard.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.