I was deeply saddened by the passing last month of Craig Shaffer, U.S. Magistrate Judge for the District of Colorado. Judge Shaffer was a kind, brilliant, thoughtful, and highly respected judge. He authored a number of seminal decisions during his tenure on the federal bench, including an early, important opinion on the discovery of electronically stored information. He was also deeply committed to improving the justice system behind the scenes, as a member of the federal Advisory Committee on Civil Rules, a member of the Sedona Conference, and a frequent author on legal matters.
Judge Shaffer was also a lovely person, generous with his time and ideas. I consulted him from time to time about my own ideas on the discovery and rulemaking process, and he unfailingly offered observations that both clarified and magnified my original thoughts.
My sympathies to Judge Shaffer’s family and the entire legal community. He will be sorely missed.
The Interdependent Third Branch 