Motion denied to delay disbarment for District Attorney Linda Stanley, prosecutor in Barry Morphew case

DENVER — Colorado’s presiding disciplinary judge on Friday denied a Colorado district attorney’s motion to stay her disbarment pending her appeal in the case.

Linda Stanley, who was the prosecutor in the Barry Morphew case, had asked for the court to stay her disbarment until Jan. 14, when her term ends as the district attorney for the 11th Judicial District. Because the judge denied the motion, she will lose her law license as of Nov. 1, according to court records.

Stanley still has the opportunity to appeal the decision by the judge to deny the motion to the Colorado Supreme Court, though it is not clear whether she will do that. 

Stanley had previously asked the judge to delay her disbarment, in part so she could continue working to pay money to pay the legal fees and fines that come with her disbarment. 

Governor Jared Polis’ office now says that the 11th Judicial District Court will fill her position until a new district attorney is elected in November. Jeff Lindsey, the only candidate running to replace Stanley, will take office in January. 

“Ms. Stanley is considered absent while she is disbarred and her appeal pending before the Supreme Court. As a result, the court in the 11th Judicial District will have the authority to appoint someone to discharge the duties of the office,” a spokesperson for the governor told 9NEWS. 

A panel under the Colorado Supreme Court ruled in an 83-page decision last month that Stanley can’t practice law in Colorado anymore. She was disbarred for a long list of ethical violations, many of which stemmed from her handling of the high profile Morphew murder case. 

Stanley is the Republican district attorney for the 11th Judicial District, which includes Chaffee County. She brought a first-degree murder charge against Barry in the death of his wife Suzanne Morphew nearly a year after Suzanne went missing on Mother’s Day 2020.

Stanley then dropped the charges against Morphew days before the trial was set to start.

The Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel filed a complaint against Stanley in October 2023. It’s the office in charge of investigating and prosecuting allegations of violations of the Rules of Professional Conduct by attorneys in Colorado.

The complaint accuses her of making inappropriate comments about the Morphew case to media and says she showed up late to court. She was also accused of launching a secret investigation into the judge in the Morphew case because she disagreed with his rulings.

The decision to disbar Stanley refers to her “dereliction of duty,” saying she abused her position of trust and as a minister of justice.

This story includes previous reporting by Marissa Solomon.

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> Below, a legal analyst discusses Linda Stanley being disbarred for misconduct: