Aurora Settles Lawsuit, Agrees to Restore Public Comment Period

City to provide at least one hour of public comment before each council meeting for the next three years

Published on Mar. 5, 2026

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The city of Aurora, Colorado has settled a lawsuit with activist Midian Shofner, agreeing to restore a public comment period of up to three minutes per speaker before each city council meeting for the next three years. The settlement comes after a long legal dispute over the city's previous efforts to limit or eliminate public comment at council meetings.

Why it matters

The settlement affirms the importance of public access and the ability of citizens to directly address their elected representatives, which is a critical component of government transparency and accountability. It also underscores the First Amendment rights of citizens to freely express themselves at public meetings.

The details

Under the settlement, Aurora will provide at least one hour of 'public invited to be heard' time before each city council meeting, with up to three minutes per speaker. This comes after the city previously restricted and even eliminated public comment periods, leading to disruptions and a lawsuit from Midian Shofner arguing her constitutional rights were violated. The settlement requires the city to develop a community-created code of conduct to maintain decorum during public meetings.

  • The settlement was announced this week.
  • The newly elected Democratic majority of the Aurora City Council restored the full public comment period in December 2025 after taking control of the council.
  • Shofner filed the First Amendment lawsuit against Aurora in early 2025 after the city limited and then eliminated public comment periods.

The players

Midian Shofner

An activist who filed a First Amendment lawsuit against the Aurora City Council over its efforts to limit and eliminate public comment periods at council meetings.

Aurora City Council

The governing body of the city of Aurora, Colorado, which previously restricted and eliminated public comment periods at its meetings, leading to the lawsuit from Shofner.

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What they’re saying

“Government meetings must be public, and a critical component of transparency and accountability is the ability of citizens to directly address their elected representatives.”

— The Sentinel Editorial Board (The Sentinel)

“Free speech in this context is, in many ways, about equal time. When elected officials sit elevated at the dais, they're armed with the bully pulpit and microphones. The public's opportunity to counter, criticize, laud or demand answers, even briefly, mirrors the spirit of the First Amendment. It levels the playing field, if only for three minutes at a time.”

— The Sentinel Editorial Board (The Sentinel)

What’s next

The city of Aurora will work to develop a community-created code of conduct to maintain decorum during public meetings as part of the settlement agreement.

The takeaway

This settlement underscores the importance of public access and the ability of citizens to directly address their elected representatives, which is a critical component of government transparency and accountability. It also affirms the First Amendment rights of citizens to freely express themselves at public meetings, even when it may be uncomfortable or inconvenient for elected officials.