May 18, 2013

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Governor Hickenlooper Announces Appointments to 22nd Judicial District Nominating Commission

February 28, 2013 by Leave a Comment

On Tuesday, February 26, 2013, Governor Hickenlooper announced appointments to several boards and commissions, including the 22nd Judicial District Nominating Commission and the Air Quality Control Commission.

Governor Hickenlooper appointed Stanley M. Morris of Cortez, to serve as an attorney and as a Republican from Montezuma County for the 22nd Judicial District. Each of Colorado’s 22 judicial districts has a nominating commission that reviews applications for judicial appointments and selects nominees for the governor’s appointment. There is also a Supreme Court Nominating Commission that selects nominees for appointment to the Court of Appeals and Supreme Court. The judicial district nominating commissions consist of seven citizens, three of whom may be licensed to practice law in the State of Colorado and of whom no more than four can be of the same political party.

The Air Quality Control Commission develops policy and regulates pollution to improve ambient air quality standards in Colorado. Governor Hickenlooper reappointed Teresa A. Coons of Grand Junction, to serve as a representative with scientific experience for a term expiring January 31, 2014, and appointed William R. Toor of Boulder, to serve as a representative with technical and private sector experience, and Jana Beth Milford of Boulder, to serve as a representative with legal and scientific experience. Their terms expire January 31, 2016.

For the complete list of the governor’s boards and commissions appointments, click here.

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New Self-Help Centers Open for Pro Se Litigants in Sixth and Twenty-Second Judicial Districts

February 6, 2013 by Leave a Comment

On Tuesday, February 5, 2013, the Colorado State Judicial Branch announced the opening of self-help centers for pro se litigants in the Sixth and Twenty-Second Judicial Districts. The centers are in Durango and Cortez and are available for civil litigants.

The centers are part of the Judicial Branch’s program to address the need to provide legal services to people who cannot afford attorneys but have too many assets to qualify for legal aid. The centers are intended to ease the strain on court personnel who must spend time assisting pro se litigants.

Office hours for the Durango center are 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Hours for the Cortez center are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday. For more information on the self- help centers, click here.

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Governor Hickenlooper Announces Appointments to Several Judicial Nominating Commissions

December 14, 2012 by Leave a Comment

On Thursday, December 13, 2012, Governor Hickenlooper announced appointments to the judicial nominating commissions for the First, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, Eleventh, Twelfth, Thirteenth, Fourteenth, Fifteenth, Sixteenth, Eighteenth, Twentieth, and Twenty-Second judicial districts.

Each of Colorado’s 22 judicial districts has a nominating commission that selects nominees for appointment to judicial vacancies. The nominating commissions are comprised of  seven citizens residing in that judicial district. No more than four members can be from the same political party, and there must be at least one voting member from each county in the district. The members serve six-year terms.

For a complete list of the appointed members and information regarding their residence, affiliation, and the duration of their terms, click here or visit the governor’s website. Information about the judicial nominating commissions and an application for consideration for appointment may be found here.

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Application Period Open for Forty-Five Vacancies on Judicial Nominating Commissions

September 15, 2011 by Leave a Comment

On behalf of Governor John Hickenlooper, Attorney General John Suthers, and Chief Justice Michael L. Bender, the Colorado Judicial Branch announced on Thursday, September 15, 2011, the opening of the application period for forty-five vacancies on judicial nominating commissions across the state.

Some positions are open now, but the majority of vacancies will occur when current commissioners’ six-year terms end December 31, 2011. All commissioners serve as volunteers. Applications are due on or before October 14.

Thirty-two vacancies must be filled by non-attorneys selected by the Governor. Thirteen vacancies must be filled by attorneys selected by joint action of the Governor, Attorney General, and Chief Justice. Vacancies will occur in twenty judicial district nominating commissions.

Each judicial district in Colorado has a nominating commission comprised of three attorneys and four non-attorneys who are tasked with selecting nominees for appointment to county and district judgeships. The Supreme Court Nominating Commission is made up of seven attorneys, seven non-attorneys, and one non-attorney at-large member. Each of Colorado’s seven Congressional Districts is represented by one attorney and one non-attorney on the Supreme Court Nominating Commission, which selects nominees for positions on the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals.

Application forms for vacancies on the various commissions can be found here. Completed application forms should be mailed to Romaine Pacheco, Governor’s Office of Boards and Commissions, 136 State Capitol Bldg., Denver, Colorado 80203.  They also can be faxed to (303) 866-6368 or sent by e-mail to boards@state.co.us.

Article VI, Section 24 of the Colorado Constitution requires that for any nominating commission, “no more than one-half of the commission members plus one, exclusive of the Supreme Court justice serving as ex officio chair, shall be members of the same political party.” The Constitution also requires that at least one commissioner reside in each of the counties of the district. Applicants must reside in the judicial district – or, for the Supreme Court Nominating Commission, the congressional district – to which they are applying for appointment.

Here is a list of upcoming nominating commission attorney vacancies along with any applicable residency and political-affiliation requirements:

  • First Judicial District: One vacancy.
  • Second Judicial District: One vacancy. Appointee cannot be a registered Democrat.
  • Fourth Judicial District: One vacancy. This commission also will have one non-attorney vacancy. Only one position may be filled by a registered Democrat.
  • Fifth Judicial District: One vacancy. This commission also will have two non-attorney vacancies. One of the positions must be filled by a resident of Eagle County, one other by a resident of Lake County.
  • Sixth Judicial District: One vacancy. This commission also will have one non-attorney vacancy. One of the positions must be filled by a resident of San Juan County.
  • Seventh Judicial District: One vacancy. Appointee must reside in Ouray County.
  • Ninth Judicial District: One vacancy. This commission also will have one non-attorney vacancy. One appointee must be a resident of Rio Blanco County and one a resident of Pitkin County.
  • Thirteenth Judicial District: One vacancy. This commission also will have three non-attorney vacancies. One appointee must be a resident of Yuma County, one a resident of Phillips County, one a resident of Sedgwick County, and one a resident of Logan County.
  • Fourteenth Judicial District: Two vacancies.
  • Sixteenth Judicial District: One vacancy. Appointee cannot be a registered Democrat.
  • Nineteenth Judicial District: One vacancy.
  • Supreme Court: One vacancy. Appointee must be a resident of the Fifth Congressional District.

Here is a list of non-attorney vacancies, along with any applicable residency and political-affiliation requirements:

  • Second Judicial District: Two vacancies. Neither may be filled by a registered Democrat.
  • Third Judicial District: Two vacancies.
  • Fourth Judicial District: One vacancy. This commission also will have one attorney vacancy. Only one position may be filled by a registered Democrat.
  • Fifth Judicial District: Two vacancies. This commission also will have one attorney vacancy. One of the positions must be filled by a resident of Eagle County, one other by a resident of Lake County.
  • Sixth Judicial District: One vacancy. This commission also will have one attorney vacancy. One of the positions must be filled by a resident of San Juan County.
  • Eighth Judicial District: One vacancy. Appointee must not be a registered Democrat.
  • Ninth Judicial District: Three vacancies. This commission also will have one attorney vacancy. At least one appointee must be a resident of Rio Blanco County and one a resident of Pitkin County.
  • Tenth Judicial District: Two vacancies. Neither may be filled by a registered Democrat.
  • Eleventh Judicial District: One vacancy.
  • Twelfth Judicial District: Two vacancies. One appointee must be a resident of Mineral County and one a resident of Costilla County.
  • Thirteenth Judicial District: Three vacancies. This commission also will have one attorney vacancy. One appointee must be a resident of Yuma County, one a resident of Phillips County, one a resident of Sedgwick County, and one a resident of Logan County.
  • Fourteenth Judicial District: Two vacancies.
  • Fifteenth Judicial District: Two vacancies.
  • Nineteenth Judicial District: One vacancy.
  • Twentieth Judicial District: One vacancy. Appointee cannot be a registered Democrat.
  • Twenty-First Judicial District: Two vacancies. Neither appointee may be a registered Democrat.
  • Twenty-Second Judicial District: One vacancy. Appointee must be a resident of Dolores County.
  • Supreme Court: Two vacancies. One appointee must be a resident of the Second Congressional District and the other a resident of the Seventh Congressional District.

Click here to read the full release about the commission vacancies from State Judicial.

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La Plata and Montezuma Counties Conducting Court Service-Improvement Program This Week

July 19, 2011 by Leave a Comment

This week, judges, magistrates, clerks, and other court employees will again collect data to help improve the way the courts of Colorado’s Sixth and Twenty-Second Judicial Districts conduct their business. The court service-improvement program, which was first instituted in 2008, uses public surveys to gather information and assess the functioning and accessibility of the courts in each district. In the last three years, the surveys have been used at least once in each of Colorado’s twenty-two judicial districts.

Judicial officers, clerks and other court employees will spend time talking to people about their experiences as jurors, parties to a case, or as recipients of other Judicial Branch services. Attorneys, law enforcement officers, and anyone who does business with the courts will be encouraged to participate.

People leaving the La Plata County Courthouse on Wednesday, July 20, and the Montezuma County Courthouse on Thursday, July 21, will be asked whether they had business with the courts and are willing to fill out a brief anonymous survey. The survey forms will be available both in English and Spanish.

The survey is designed to gauge public opinion about access to and fairness of the courts. Questions include whether people felt safe in the building, whether they could easily understand the forms they needed, and whether they felt their case was handled in a fair manner. Participants also are asked whether they felt the judge or magistrate listened to them, whether they had all the necessary information before making a decision, and whether they felt they were treated with courtesy and given clear information about the next step in their case.

In Fiscal Year 2010, about 10,600 cases were filed in the courts of the Sixth Judicial District.  That number includes 3,019 cases filed in District Court and 6,038 in La Plata County Court.

In Fiscal Year 2010, about 4,900 cases were filed in the courts of the Twenty-Second Judicial District.  That number includes 1,152 cases filed in District Court and 3,459 in Montezuma County Court.

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New Judge Appointed to Montezuma County Court Bench

November 8, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Governor Bill Ritter named JenniLynn Everett Lawrence of Mancos as a new Montezuma County Court judge on November 3, 2010. Lawrence will replace Judge Todd J. Plewe, who recently was appointed to the 22nd Judicial District Court bench.

Lawrence is currently a partner with Schwed McGinley Kahle and has also worked in private practice with Shindell & Shindell, Page Mrachek Fitzgerald & Rose, and Shand Newbold Chapman. In the public sector, she has worked as a contract attorney for the Palm Beach County School District and as a staff attorney for the 15th Judicial Circuit Court in Palm Beach County, Fla. She earned her law degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1997.

Lawrence will serve a provisional term of two years before facing a retention vote. If retained, county court judges serve four-year terms.

The Governor’s office press release concerning the appointment can be found here.

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Montezuma County Court Seeks Successor to Judge Plewe Following His Appointment to District Court Bench

September 22, 2010 by Leave a Comment

When Montezuma County Court Judge Todd J. Plewe was appointed to the Twenty-Second Judicial District Court bench last week, his departure from the county court bench created a vacancy, for which applicants are now being sought by the commission charged with finding his successor.

The Twenty-Second District Judicial Nominating Commission plans to convene on Friday, October 15 to review applications and recommend nominees to fill the vacancy. The meeting will be held at the Montezuma County Courthouse, 109 W. Main St., in Cortez. Following the interviews, the Commission will recommend finalists for Gov. Ritter to consider for appointment. The governor must announce the appointment within the 15-day period proscribed by the Colorado Constitution.

Judges in Montezuma County Court hear a mixed docket of traffic and misdemeanor cases, felony preliminary hearings, and domestic abuse restraining orders for the 25,000 residents of the county. The incoming county court judge will receive a provisional, two-year appointment by the governor, after which he or she is retained by voter approval every four years. The Montezuma County Court judgeship is a part-time (90 percent) position, with an annual salary of $110,760.30.

Registered electors in Montezuma County who are high school graduates or have attained its equivalence (via a GED) are eligible to apply for the judgeship. Detailed information about Montezuma County and the application are available online. Application packages (consisting of one original application plus seven copies) must be received by the office of Commission ex officio chair, Justice Michael L. Bender, 101 W. Colfax Ave., Eighth Floor, no later than Monday, October 4, at 5:00 p.m.

Judge Plewe took the oath of office in 2002, when he was appointed to the Montezuma County Court bench after several years in private practice. He lives in Cortez with his wife and three children. His departure from the Montezuma County Court is effective October 1.

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22nd Judicial District’s Chief Judge Sharon Hansen to Retire in October

July 13, 2010 by Leave a Comment

The Twenty-Second Judicial District’s Chief Judge, Sharon L. Hansen, will retire from the bench effective October 1, State Judicial announced Monday, opening the field for individuals interested in becoming her successor. Chief Judge Hansen is the thirteenth judge since June 1 to announce retirement plans.

The Nominating Commission will meet August 24 at the Montezuma District Court to review and interview applicants for the vacancy. Following the interviews, the Commission will recommend finalists for Gov. Bill Ritter to consider for appointment.

All attorneys licensed to practice in Colorado for at least five years and who are registered electors in the Twenty-Second Judicial District are eligible to apply for the judgeship. Detailed information about the District and the application are available online. Application packages (consisting of one original application plus seven copies) must be received by the office of Commission ex officio chair, Justice Nathan B. Coats, 101 W. Colfax Ave., Eighth Floor, by Wednesday, August 11, at 3:00 p.m.

The Twenty-Second Judicial District serves the nearly 27,000 residents of Dolores and Montezuma counties, and its judges hear a mixed docket that includes civil, felony criminal, domestic relations, mental health, juvenile delinquent, adoption and relinquishment, dependency and neglect, and probate matters. District court judges receive an annual salary of $128,598, and serve a provisional, two-year term, after which their retention is put to the vote every six years.

Chief Judge Hansen began her service with the Twenty-Second Judicial District in 1986 as county court judge, a position she held until her 1995 appointment to the district court bench.

Other Colorado judges announcing their retirement in recent weeks include:

Judges up for retention in this November’s election have until Monday, August 2, to file with the Secretary of State their Declaration of Intent to Run for Retention.

Last month in the Twenty-Second Judicial District, Gov. Ritter appointed Mac Myers as district attorney following the accidental death of DA Jim Wilson in May.

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Ritter Names Mark “Mac” Myers District Attorney in 22nd Judicial District

June 18, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Living up to his promise to appoint a new District Attorney for the Twenty-Second Judicial District, which serves Montezuma and Dolores counties, Governor Ritter appointed Mark “Mac” Myers to the position today.

“Mac Myers is a passionate prosecutor and a dedicated law officer,” Gov. Ritter said. “I am grateful he has agreed to once again serve the people of Colorado and the people of the 22nd Judicial District. I know he will do so with distinction.”

Myers served two terms as the elected DA in the 9th Judicial District (Garfield, Pitkin and Rio Blanco counties) from 1997 to 2005 and as a deputy DA in the 22nd from 2005 to 2007.

“I am honored and humbled by the Governor’s appointment,” Myers said. “Serving as a district attorney is an opportunity to serve my community and the victims of crime. I know the Judicial District. I know the people who live and work here. I know the challenges and I look forward to meeting those challenges.”

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Update: Governor’s Office Reveals Twenty-Second Judicial District Candidates for District Attorney

June 6, 2010 by Leave a Comment

The Office of the Governor on Thursday released the names of the three candidates vying to fill the vacancy in the district attorney’s office in Colorado’s Twenty-Second Judicial District, which covers Montezuma and Dolores counties in southestern Colorado.

Gov. Ritter’s office issued a press release naming the candidates and describing their professional accomplishments:

Andrew Michael Hughes of Cortez. Hughes has been a special United States attorney since May 2007, specializing in felony criminal prosecution. Previously, he worked in private practice at the law firm of Cameron Secrist and Starr. Between 1993 and 2007, he worked as a District Attorney in the 22nd, 6th and 12th judicial districts, and from 1987-93 he was a prosecutor for Montgomery County in Ohio. He graduated from the New England Conservatory of Music in 1977, and earned his J.D. from the University of Dayton School of Law in 1983.

Mark Myers of Mancos served as a deputy district attorney in the 22nd Judicial District from 2005-07. He previously served as the District Attorney of the 9th Judicial District, and held positions as deputy district attorney in the 9th, 5th and 4th judicial districts from 1980-89. He worked in private practice from 1990-97, and he served as a municipal judge in Basalt from 1991-96. He was also a clerk to Judge Bernard Baker of the 4th Judicial District from 1979-1980. He graduated from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs with a B.A. in 1976, and earned a J.D. from the University of Denver College of Law in 1979.

Russell Wasley of Cortez. He has been a deputy district attorney in the 22nd Judicial District since December 2008. Between 2004 and 2007, he held positions as a deputy DA in the 6th, 14th and 9th judicial districts. From 1987-91 he worked as an assistant district attorney in Lubbock County, Texas. He practiced criminal law as an attorney for the Law Office of Thomas Silverman (October 2003-June 2004) and at the Law Office of Darrel Gubbels (January 2002-September 2002). He graduated from Brown University with a B.A. in 1979, and earned a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School in 1985.

Public comments on the candidates are welcome via e-mail at da.vacancy@state.co.us. Gov. Ritter is expected to name his appointee shortly after the public comment period concludes on June 11.

Jim Wilson, the Twenty-Second District’s previous district attorney, suffered fatal injuries in a motorcycle crash May 23 on I-70. A representative of the Colorado Attorney General’s Office has been prosecuting cases in the interim period until a successor is appointed.

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Update: Applications for 22nd Judicial District Vacancy Due June 2

June 1, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Last weekend’s untimely passing of Montezuma/Dolores County District Attorney Jim Wilson has left a vacancy in the Twenty-Second Judicial District’s District Attorney’s Office, and individuals interested in applying for the position must do so by tomorrow afternoon, the Office of the Governor has announced.

To be considered for the district attorney’s position, applicants must submit this application plus supporting materials to Gov. Ritter’s office by the close of business on Wednesday, June 2. To be eligible, applicants must have been licensed to practice law in Colorado for the last five years, must be a qualified elector in the Twenty-Second Judicial District, and must reside within the district while serving as its district attorney. The appointee will occupy the seat until January 11, 2011. If appointee wishes to remain in the position beyond that term, he or she must run for election in the 2010 general election.

Gov. Ritter is expected to appoint the new district attorney by the end of June. In the interim, a representative appointed by Colorado District Attorney John Suthers is prosecuting cases for Montezuma and Dolores counties.

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Update: AG Suthers Overseeing 22nd Judicial District Prosecutions Following DA Wilson’s Death

May 25, 2010 by 2 Comments

Gov. Bill Ritter has issued an executive order authorizing Colorado Attorney General John Suthers to temporarily oversee prosecutions in the Twenty-Second Judicial District after the accidental death this weekend of Montezuma and Dolores County District Attorney Jim Wilson.

Wilson died in a single-vehicle accident early Saturday morning when his Harley-Davidson motorcycle went over a guardrail on westbound I-70. He was wearing a helmet, and intoxicants are not believed to have been involved in the accident, pending toxicology results.

The I-70 corridor at the base of the foothills is well known for high winds, which are suspected to have pushed the district attorney out of his traffic lane and down a steep embankment, where he perished from multiple internal injuries.

According to the Cortez Journal, Attorney General Suthers said that he anticipates that the governor will name a replacement for Wilson within the next three weeks. In the meantime, Suthers’ first lieutenant Rob Shapiro is handling prosecutions and other responsibilities in the Twenty-Second Judicial District. Suthers remarked, “(Rob) will do well working with the lawyers over there. It’s going to be pretty much business as usual.”

(image source: Cortez Journal)

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