The Fourth Judicial District Nominating Commission has nominated three candidates for a district court judgeship created by the retirement of the Hon. Deborah J. Grohs. The vacancy will occur on June 30, 2022. Nominees Monica J. Gomez and Amanda J. Philipps, both of Colorado Springs; and Theodore P. McClintock of Woodland Park were selected by the commission on May 11, 2022.

Under the Colorado Constitution, the governor has 15 days from May 12, 2022, within which to appoint one of the nominees as district court judge for the Fourth Judicial District (El Paso and Teller counties).

Comments regarding any of the nominees may be sent via e-mail to the governor at: gov_judicialappointments@state.co.us

Editor’s Note: Contact information for the three nominees 

• Monica J. Gomez, 270 S. Tejon St., Colorado Springs, CO 80903, 719-452-5202
• Theodore P. McClintock, 220 E. Costilla St., Colorado Springs, CO 80903, 719-520-3968
• Amanda J. Philipps, 270 S. Tejon St., Colorado Springs, CO 80903, 719-452-5533

Senators Bennet and Hickenlooper and the District Court Advisory Committee are extending the deadline to apply for a federal court vacancy. The new deadline is close of business on Thursday, March 31. Below is a link to the announcement and all of the application materials and information on the process.

The Fourth Judicial District Nominating Commission will meet at the El Paso County Combined Courts on May 11, 2022, to interview and select nominees for appointment by the governor to the office of district judge for the Fourth Judicial District (El Paso and Teller counties). The vacancy will be created by the retirement of the Honorable Deborah J. Grohs. The vacancy will occur on June 30, 2022.

To be eligible, the applicant must be a qualified elector of the Fourth Judicial District at the time of investiture and must have been admitted to the practice of law in Colorado for five years. The current annual salary for this position is $178,452. The initial term of office of a district judge is a provisional term of two years; thereafter, the incumbent district judge, if approved by the voters, has a term of six years.

Application forms are available from the office of the ex officio chair of the nominating commission, Justice Richard L. Gabriel, 2 E. 14thAve., Denver, CO 80203; and the office of the court executive, Scott Sosebee, 270 S. Tejon St., Colorado Springs, CO 80901. Applications also are available on the court’s home page at http://www.courts.state.co.us/Careers/Judge.cfm

The completed application must be e-mailed to the address listed in the instructions below no later than 4 p.m. on April 15, 2022. Late applications will not be considered. Any person wishing to suggest a candidate to fill the vacancy may do so by letter to be submitted to any member of the nominating commission, with a copy to the ex officio chair, no later than 4 p.m. on April 8, 2022.

The members of the nominating commission for the Fourth Judicial District are: Lisa Dailey, Stella Hodgkins, C. Onye Ikwaukor, Misty Plowright, and Laura Rosendo, all of Colorado Springs; Kathleen Cefus of Divide; and Michael Allen of Monument. This commission currently has one vacancy.

Editor’s Note: Contact information for the nominating commission members.

• Lisa Dailey, lisa@daileyprattlaw.com
• Stella Hodgkins, stella.hodgkins@gmail.com
• C. Onye Ikwaukor, 1 Olympic Plaza, Colorado Springs, CO 80909 
• Kathleen Cefus, ekcefus@msn.com
• Laura Rosendo, lrosendo@pikespeakhospice.org
• Michael Allen, mtallen@mikemoranlaw.com
• Misty Plowright, misty.plowright@gmail.com

DENVER - The Colorado Supreme Court Model Criminal Jury Instructions Committee recently released its annual update to Colorado’s model jury instructions for use in criminal trials.

The model jury instructions may be found online at https://www.courts.state.co.us/Courts/Supreme_Court/Committees/Committee.cfm?Committee_ID=9; they include instructions concerning all of the offenses defined in Title 18 of the Colorado Revised Statutes (the Criminal Code), along with instructions addressing select offenses defined in other titles of the Colorado Revised Statutes (including Title 42, Vehicles and Traffic).  This annual update incorporates 2021 legislation, as well as caselaw published since the release of the prior edition.

Users may download Word and PDF versions of the instructions, both of which feature hyperlink capabilities for ease of use.  For any questions regarding the instructions, users are encouraged to contact the Committee at mcjic@judicial.state.co.us.

The Fourth Judicial District Nominating Commission has nominated three candidates for a District Court judgeship created by the retirement of the Hon. G. David Miller. The vacancy will occur on March 31, 2022. Nominees Diana May and Amanda Philipps, both of Colorado Springs; and Theodore McClintock of Woodland Park were selected by the commission on March 2, 2022.

Under the Colorado Constitution, the governor has 15 days from March 3, 2022, within which to appoint one of the nominees as district court judge for the Fourth Judicial District (El Paso and Teller counties).

Comments regarding any of the nominees may be sent via e-mail to the governor at gov_judicialappointments@state.co.us

Editor’s Note: Contact information for the three nominees

• Diana May, 200 S. Cascade Ave., Colorado Springs, CO 80903, 719-520-6409

• Theodore McClintock, 220 E. Costilla St., Colorado Springs, CO 80903, 719-520-3968

• Amanda Philipps, 270 S. Tejon St., Colorado Springs, CO 80903, 719-452-5034

In accordance with the reduced mask guidelines issued by the CDC and after consulting with the El Paso County Health Department, the mask mandate has been lifted for the El Paso County Combined Courts.

Read the official order here.

Chief Judge Order 22-7 Re: Delayed Openings and Closures

Delayed Openings:
If the opening of the El Paso or Teller County Courthouse is delayed because of weather, all scheduled cases will be delayed until the opening of the courthouse. All parties with a case scheduled during the delay must report to the courtroom division where their case is set when the courthouse opens.

Closures:
If the El Paso or Teller County Courthouse is closed for the entire day, all scheduled cases shall be automatically reset to the same time on the next business day that the courthouse is open, subject to the following exception:

A judicial officer may conduct proceedings virtually when the courthouse is closed, provided that no later than 4 p.m. on the business day before the anticipated closure:

1. All parties agree to appear remotely;
2. All attorneys agree to appear remotely;
3. To the extent there are witnesses, all witnesses are available to testify remotely; and
4. Transport or Webex participation for any in-custody defendant is approved by the El Paso County or Teller County Sheriff's Office.

Any judicial officer conducting proceedings remotely shall notify the local administration of such plan no later than 4 p.m. the day before the anticipated closure.

All jury trials will be delayed until the next business day that the courthouse is open.

Based on the current Covid-19 positivity and incidence rates in both El Paso and Teller Counties, the Fourth Judicial District courts will be able to safely assemble jurors in the 4th Judicial District beginning February 14th, 2022.

Read the full order here. 

Governor Jared Polis today announced the appointment of William H. Moller as a District Court Judge in the 4th Judicial District. This judgeship was created by the appointment of the Honorable Timothy J. Schutz to the Court of Appeals. The vacancy is effective immediately.

Read the full announcement here.

• The Supreme Court Attorney Regulation Advisory Committee has opened the application period for candidates for the position of Presiding Disciplinary Judge. The vacancy will be created by the retirement of the Hon. William R. Lucero. The vacancy will occur on May 31, 2022.

  To be eligible, applicants must have been admitted to the practice of law in Colorado for five years. The annual salary for this position is $178,452. The application form may be found at http://www.courts.state.co.us/Careers/Judge.cfm.

  Completed applications must be e-mailed to the address listed in the instructions below no later than 4 p.m. Feb. 22, 2022. Late applications will not be considered.

  The Attorney Regulation Advisory Committee has formed a subcommittee to interview candidates and select nominees for appointment by the Supreme Court to the position of Presiding Disciplinary Judge. Applicants will be notified of interview dates and times upon selection by the subcommittee. Finalists will be interviewed by the Supreme Court, which intends to appoint a new presiding disciplinary judge by April 15, 2022.

  The members of the subcommittee are: Alec Rothrock, Dick Reeve, Steve Jacobson, Nancy L. Cohen, Sarah Myers, Melinda Harper, Lisa Pearce and Carolyn Love. Any questions about the application process should be directed to committee Chair David Stark at david.stark@faegredrinker.com.

   

  This information is provided as an e-mail service of the Colorado State Judicial Department, Office of State Court Administrator, 1300 Broadway, Suite 1200, Denver, CO 80203. To discontinue this service or update your e-mail address, please respond to this message with your name, contact information and any comments.

   

  
  

  SUPREME COURT ADVISORY SUBCOMMITTEE

  APPLICATION FOR COLORADO STATE PRESIDING DISCIPLINARY JUDGESHIP

  NEW INSTRUCTIONS PLEASE READ CAREFULLY 

  Instructions

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1. The application form for a Colorado state court judgeship can be found on the Judicial Branch website at http://www.courts.state.co.us/Careers/Judge.cfm.  Please be complete and thorough in answering the questions; and, if an answer to any question requires more space than provided, attach a separate sheet of paper for each question.  Do not change the margins or font size on the application.
2. Your application materials should be prepared in the following manner: The application should be saved as a PDF file (preferably in text searchable format.  The electronic application does not need to contain a signature.  If your application materials include multiple documents (i.e., cover letter, personal statement, reference letters) these documents should be combined into one single PDF document with the reference letters attached last.
   You must submit the names of not fewer than three nor more than five individuals from whom you are requesting a letter of reference. Such letters of reference shall be strictly confidential. It is preferred that reference letters are included with your application submission. If they are submitted directly by the author, they should be submitted by email as described below in paragraph three.  It is your responsibility to ensure that all letters of reference are submitted by the filing deadline listed in paragraph four. 
3. Your application materials compiled as outlined above should be sent via email with your name and Presiding Disciplinary Judge in the subject line with your materials attached as outlined above no later than 4 p.m. on February 22, 2022 to the following email address: judicial.applicants@judicial.state.co.us
   You should receive an automatic response to your email submission.  If you do not, please email Nikky Conn at the address below to confirm receipt.
4. Your application must be received no later than: 4 p.m. on February 22, 2022
5. Email Nikky Conn in the Colorado Supreme Court Clerk’s office with questions: nikky.conn@judicial.state.co.us