United States v. State of Colorado
U.S. District Court, District of Colorado · Docket 1:26-cv-01950 · Filed 2026-05-06
Pending — defendants' motion to dismiss filed 2026-06-30, not yet ruled on
Summary
United States v. State of Colorado is a federal lawsuit filed May 6, 2026 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado. The plaintiff is the United States, represented by the Department of Justice. The defendants are the State of Colorado and the Colorado Department of Public Safety. The complaint challenges C.R.S. section 18-12-302, which bars the sale, transfer, or possession of ammunition magazines holding more than 15 rounds, a limit in place since 2013. The Department of Justice brought this case one day after suing the City and County of Denver over its 1989 assault-weapons ordinance in a separate, related docket (1:26-cv-01929). Colorado's defendants filed a motion to dismiss on June 30, 2026. This page tracks new filings, including the motion-to-dismiss briefing, as they are entered on the docket.
Challenge target
C.R.S. § 18-12-302 — the 15-round ammunition-magazine capacity limit (in place since 2013)
Parties
- United States of America — plaintiff
- State of Colorado — defendant
- Colorado Department of Public Safety — defendant
Docket timeline
- 2026-08-14Motionentry 38
On 2026-08-14, the docket in United States v. State of Colorado recorded a motion (entry 38): REPLY to Response to 30 MOTION to Dismiss filed by Defendants Colorado Department of Public Safety, State of Colorado. (Moskowitz, David) (Entered: 08/14/2026). This entry characterizes the CourtListener docket description only; it does not predict an outcome or offer legal analysis.
- 2026-08-11Order ⚑entry 474010635
On 2026-08-11, the docket in United States v. State of Colorado recorded a court order (entry 474010635): Order on Motion for Leave to File Excess Pages. This entry characterizes the CourtListener docket description only; it does not predict an outcome or offer legal analysis.
- 2026-07-29Order ⚑entry 472523975
On 2026-07-29, the docket in United States v. State of Colorado recorded a court order (entry 472523975): Order on Motion for Extension of Time to File Response/Reply. This entry characterizes the CourtListener docket description only; it does not predict an outcome or offer legal analysis.
- 2026-07-29Orderentry 35
On 2026-07-29, the docket in United States v. State of Colorado recorded a court order (entry 35): ORDER granting 34 Unopposed Motion for Extension of Time to File Response/Reply. Defendants are granted an extension of up to and including August 14, 2026,.... This entry characterizes the CourtListener docket description only; it does not predict an outcome or offer legal analysis.
- 2026-07-29Motionentry 34
On 2026-07-29, the docket in United States v. State of Colorado recorded a motion (entry 34): MOTION for Extension of Time to File Response/Reply as to 30 MOTION to Dismiss by Defendants Colorado Department of Public Safety, State of Colorado. (Podest.... This entry characterizes the CourtListener docket description only; it does not predict an outcome or offer legal analysis.
- 2026-06-30Motionentry 30
Docket entry 30: the defendants (the State of Colorado and the Colorado Department of Public Safety) filed a motion to dismiss on June 30, 2026. It had not been ruled on as of this page's last check.
- 2026-06-02Filingentry 20
Docket entry 20: a memorandum was filed June 2, 2026, in connection with the extension motion at entry 17. See the linked docket entry for detail.
- 2026-06-01Motionentry 17
Docket entry 17: the defendants filed a motion for an extension of time to answer or otherwise respond, filed June 1, 2026.
- 2026-05-06Filingentry 2
On 2026-05-06, the docket in United States v. State of Colorado recorded a filing (entry 2): Case assigned to Magistrate Judge Kathryn A. Starnella. Text Only Entry. (manoe, ) (Entered: 05/07/2026). This entry characterizes the CourtListener docket description only; it does not predict an outcome or offer legal analysis.
- 2026-05-06Filingentry 1
Docket entry 1: the United States filed the complaint commencing this action on May 6, 2026, challenging Colorado's 15-round ammunition-magazine limit under C.R.S. section 18-12-302.
Notes
Widely reported as "DOJ v. Colorado"; the docket's formal caption is "United States v. State of Colorado." DOJ filed a separate, related suit the day before against the City and County of Denver over Denver's 1989 assault-weapons ordinance (D. Colo. 1:26-cv-01929, CourtListener docket_id 73295484, "United States v. City and County of Denver, Colorado"). That Denver suit is a distinct matter from the six tracked here (it is not the same docket as the privately filed Elliott v. Denver case below) and is not itself one of this project's six tracked matters; noted here for context only.