Incoming Chief Justice Begins One-Year Transition Under Current Chief

DENVER — Today, Chief Justice Monica Márquez announced that Supreme Court Justice William Hood was selected by his fellow justices to serve as the next chief justice beginning in August 2027, when Chief Justice Márquez’s term concludes.

The chief justice serves a three-year rotating term, established by a unanimous vote of the court in 2020 to replace indefinite terms. The incoming chief justice completes a one-year intensive onboarding process, mentoring under the current chief justice to learn the administrative role as the state judicial branch’s top executive, overseeing the 23 judicial districts, in addition to the regular duties of a justice on the Colorado Supreme Court. The new chief justice is sworn in at the end of the outgoing chief justice’s term.

“Justice Hood brings deep experience, steady judgment, and a genuine commitment to the people we serve,” said Chief Justice Monica M. Márquez. “I’ve had the privilege of working alongside him for many years, and I know he will approach this role with the integrity and thoughtfulness it demands. I look forward to supporting him throughout his onboarding year and ensuring a smooth transition for the branch.”

Justice William Hood said, “I am honored by the confidence my colleagues have placed in me. Our judicial branch is filled with dedicated professionals who work every day to deliver justice for the people of Colorado, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to support that work in this new role. I appreciate Chief Justice Márquez’s leadership and her willingness to guide me through the year ahead as I prepare for this transition.”

Justice William Hood was sworn in as a member of the Colorado Supreme Court on January 13, 2014, following seven years as a judge on the Denver District Court. In 2014, the Colorado Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers gave him its Distinguished Jurist Award. In 2011, he received the Denver Bar Association’s (DBA’s) Judicial Excellence Award.

Before moving to the bench, Justice Hood was a litigation partner at Isaacson Rosenbaum P.C. in Denver and served as a prosecutor for 10 years in Colorado’s 18th Judicial District (encompassing, at the time, Arapahoe, Douglas, Lincoln, and Elbert Counties). At different times, he was a chief trial deputy and the chief appellate deputy.

In 1990, Justice Hood graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law, where he was a member of the Virginia Law Review. In 1985, he received his B.A. magna cum laude, with honors, in International Relations from Syracuse University and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa.

Justice Hood is a member of the American, Colorado, and Denver Bar Associations. He is a fellow emeritus of the American and Colorado Bar Foundations.  He has served as a member of the Executive Council of the CBA and the Board of Trustees for the DBA. He is a 2007 (inaugural class) graduate of the CBA’s leadership training program (COBALT). He has also taught several courses related to advocacy as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Denver, Sturm College of Law.

The Colorado Supreme Court is the state’s court of last resort. Its decisions are binding on all other Colorado state courts. Under the Colorado Constitution, the Chief Justice serves as the executive head of the Colorado Judicial Department, comprising the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals and the state’s district and county courts and probation. The Judicial Department employs over 4,000 court and probation employees, including 343 justices, judges, and magistrates.