Former Colorado Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan B. Coats has been publicly censured over the award of a potentially multimillion-dollar contract to a former judiciary employee who had resigned in lieu of termination and had surreptitiously recorded a conversation with another former chief justice of the court.

Coats appeared before a special tribunal of the Colorado Supreme Court for imposition of discipline based on violations of the duties of office as a Justice of the state high court. The Colorado Commission on Judicial Discipline recommended public censure and approval of an amended stipulation to the disciplinary measure, according to the per curiam opinion.