MIKE DAVIS: Colorado governor delivers justice to Tina Peters

Seventy-year-old Tina Peters, a nonviolent erstwhile region clerk, has been rotting successful a Colorado prison, serving an outrageous nine-year sentence. Most leftists delighted successful Peters’ suffering, branding her, among different things, an "insurrectionist." One Democrat, however, saw this for the egregious incorrect that it was and stopped it: Colorado Gov. Jared Polis. Anyone who believes successful the regularisation of law, careless of governmental party, should convey him profusely for his courageous assistance of clemency to Peters.

Peters believed, arsenic did millions of Americans, that the 2020 predetermination was rigged against President Donald Trump. As Mesa County clerk, Peters sought to beryllium that determination were flaws successful the physics voting strategy nether which the predetermination had occurred. She provided unafraid accusation successful the signifier of root codification to an extracurricular advisor arsenic portion of her efforts to show that the strategy was susceptible and that predetermination fraud had transpired. This behaviour occurred aft the election, and not 1 ballot changed arsenic a result. Peters ne'er tried to change immoderate votes successful immoderate election.

Mesa County Clerk and Recorder Tina Peters is successful the rally astatine westbound steps of Colorado State Capitol gathering successful Denver, Colorado connected Tuesday, April 5, 2022.  (Hyoung Chang/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

Republican-in-name-only Mesa County District Attorney Dan Rubenstein, Democrat Secretary of State Jena Griswold and Democrat Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser went aft Peters with a vengeance. She faced a slew of felony charges and up to 18 years successful situation — successful effect a beingness condemnation for idiosyncratic her property — for her nonviolent conduct. A assemblage recovered her blameworthy connected immoderate charges but acquitted her of individuality theft. The prosecution argued that Peters had stolen the recognition badge of 1 of her employees; Peters, by contrast, alleged that the worker had been successful connected the plan. The assemblage rejected the prosecution’s allegation, meaning that Peters is not an individuality thief. Then the existent injustice began.

Mesa County District Judge Matthew Barrett is simply a unspeakable Colorado authorities proceedings judge. Unfortunately for Peters, Barrett presided implicit her trial. At sentencing, Barrett threw the publication astatine her, sentencing her to 9 years successful prison. Nine years dwarfs the sentences that individuals who formed amerciable votes receive. In those cases, amerciable voters are canceling retired the votes of lawful voters. Worse than the unconscionable magnitude of the condemnation for idiosyncratic with nary transgression past was Barrett’s reasoning. He harped connected Peters’ statements astir predetermination fraud, branding her a "charlatan." All of those statements were protected by the First Amendment. In different words, Barrett was punishing Peters for constitutionally protected speech. Even worse, Barrett made Peters service portion of her condemnation successful a region jailhouse alternatively than instantly sending her to authorities prison. This vindictive enactment decreased the magnitude of good-time recognition and situation services for which Peters would beryllium eligible.

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Colorado courts sadly person been taken implicit by leftists. The Colorado Supreme Court, for example, illegally threw President Trump disconnected the ballot successful 2024, claiming helium was an insurrectionist. A unanimous reversal by the U.S. Supreme Court swiftly enactment an extremity to that absurd ruling. Even a leftist appellate tribunal panel, however, recognized the sedate injustice successful Peters’ case. The sheet remanded the lawsuit for resentencing due to the fact that of interest that Barrett unlawfully punished Peters for protected speech.

Meanwhile, President Trump and the Trump Justice Department were perpetually warring for Peters’ release. The president repeatedly raised the issue, adjacent threatening to withhold backing from Colorado. The Trump Justice Department filed a connection of involvement successful Peters’ national habeas corpus petition, an antithetic but due people of enactment successful airy of the outrageous facts of the case. The U.S. magistrate justice denied the petition, which sought Peters’ merchandise connected bail during the appellate process, but Peters’ allies did not springiness up, beseeching Gov. Polis to assistance her clemency.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis speaks to the National Governors Association astatine the Broadmoor Hotel successful Colorado Springs, Colo., July 25, 2025. (AP)

Gov. Polis faced monolithic unit to contradict clemency. Rubenstein ardently opposed it, arsenic did different Democratic officials successful Colorado. Colorado is simply a deep-blue state; indeed, Kamala Harris carried it successful 2024 by a borderline akin to Illinois. The politically casual people of enactment for Polis would person been to contradict clemency. Doing truthful would person garnered him praise from Democrats who wanted Peters to stay down bars for astir a decade. A clemency denial surely would person enhanced his lasting among those Democrats should helium take to tally for president successful 2028.

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Trump could person tried to pardon Peters, but it is virtually definite that the Supreme Court would person held the pardon invalid due to the fact that a president tin contented pardons lone for national offenses, not authorities crimes. In different words, for each applicable purposes, Peters’ destiny rested successful Polis’ hands.

Polis did not instrumentality the casual road; helium took the precocious road. He granted Peters’ clemency application, and she volition spell location connected June 1 to walk clip with her mother, who is astir 100 years old. The clemency determination brought swift condemnation from Colorado leftists. Sen. Michael Bennet, for instance, "vehemently" disagreed with the decision, according to a station connected X. The condemnation reverberated acold extracurricular Colorado. Democratic predetermination lawyer Marc Elias posted connected X: "Disgraceful. Absolutely disgraceful."

For her part, Peters expressed gratitude and pledged to pb a law-abiding beingness to grant the acquisition of mercy she received. Now Peters’ parent tin walk with her girl by her broadside alternatively of locked distant successful prison. The compartment Peters occupied tin spell to idiosyncratic who represents a existent information to Coloradans.

It is lone fitting to extremity with a punctuation from Polis regarding his clemency decision: "I anticipation that Democrats don’t sacrifice our profoundly held content successful escaped code due to the fact that of governmental expediency, oregon disregard for what radical are saying, oregon however they’re choosing to usage their escaped speech."

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This connection represents the views of old-school Democrats similar Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania. Tragically, the Polises and Fettermans are a dying breed successful the Democratic Party. Many Democrats would beryllium consenting to sacrifice profoundly held views connected escaped code if doing truthful gave them the restitution of watching a septuagenarian walk years successful situation portion her parent died unsocial and heartbroken.

Thank you, Gov. Polis, from this Colorado Republican who voted against you. You’ve earned my respect.

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