Robert W. Kiesnowski Jr. Censured Retired

While still a sitting Adams County judge, Robert W. Kiesnowski Jr. personally represented his own brother-in-law -- the suspect in a domestic violence investigation -- during a police interrogation. The Colorado Supreme Court found Kiesnowski engaged in the unauthorized practice of law, attempted to undermine the credibility of the alleged victim, and worked to influence the criminal investigation on his relative's behalf. At the end of the interview, Kiesnowski signed a medical release identifying himself as the suspect's legal representative and providing his own Colorado bar number. Three trial judges, sitting as special masters on the disciplinary case, found Kiesnowski's conduct warranted censure -- and specifically noted that he remained defiant about having broken the rules, showing "no remorse." Because Kiesnowski had already retired by the time the case concluded, the Colorado Supreme Court's sanction was a public censure and an order that he pay the disciplinary commission's investigative costs. Separately, a Colorado appeals court found Kiesnowski had shown bias in an unrelated criminal sentencing, ordering that case redone before a different judge.