Colorado Judicial Branch
Judicial Officer Outreach
About the Judicial Officer Outreach Program
Through its educational and outreach efforts, the Judicial Officer Outreach program seeks to further the mission of the Colorado Judicial Branch to provide the community with a fair and impartial system of justice by ensuring that our courts reflect the communities we serve.
This program was established by Colorado SB 19-043 to provide outreach regarding judicial office vacancies and to create and deliver educational programming about the judicial application process. This is the first program of its kind both in Colorado and in the nation.
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Pipeline Development
To optimize engagement and connections to provide opportunities for equitable opportunities for judicial officer applicants.
Community Engagement
To emphasize the importance of outreach and education in recruiting judicial officers, and informing the community about the process, while building connections between legal and non-legal communities to make it more accessible.
Data and Research
To collect, analyze, and share statistical data regarding the Judicial Officer Outreach program and Judicial Officers for recruitment and retention efforts, demographic information and other pertinent information for reporting.
Connection and Well-Being
To foster impactful relationships among judicial officers and future judicial officers, create and maintain positive environments, strengthen connections with the communities they serve, and highlight and humanize judicial officers while emphasizing their work and impact.
Resources
- The executive summary of the program. (PDF - 258 KB) ->
- Colorado Bar Association: Diversity on the Bench Coalition
The Work of the Judicial Officer Outreach Program
Judicial Officer Outreach program is a part of the Colorado Bar Association – Colorado Judicial Institute’s Diversity on the Bench Coalition. More information about the Coalition can be found here.
Critical to the long-term success of the Judicial Officer Outreach program is the work of the Colorado Judicial Well-Being Committee, which provides innovative and whole-person support to judicial officers and promotes workplace policies that address judicial workloads, stress, and work-life integration.
In addition, the Judicial Officer Outreach program partners with the Colorado Bar Association to promote legal and judicial opportunities in Colorado's Greater Colorado communities. Please visit CBA's Underserved Areas and Legal Deserts website to learn more.
Why is Judicial Diversity Important?
The mission of the Colorado Judicial Branch is to provide the community with a fair and impartial system of justice. The work of the Judicial Officer Outreach program is to diversify the bench helps ensure that the courts reflect the communities we serve and the voices of those who feel that the ideals of equal justice have eluded them are heard. Diversity on the bench will further support decisions that are free of bias and help build a more universal faith in the courts.
On July 12, 2021, Justice Monica M. Márquez testified before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet on the importance of judicial diversity and judicial diversity efforts in Colorado. The video replay of the hearing can be accessed below (Justice Márquez’s remarks begin at 22:35). Read the written statement from Justice Márquez.
Data and Research
Compiling and analyzing data about Colorado's judges and judicial applicants is a critical way that Judicial Diversity Outreach contributes to the collective work of increasing judicial diversity. Data and research spotlight the gaps between Colorado's state population and the bench and help establish leading indicators that can be measured periodically to inform that the program's efforts are having the desired impact.
The success of the program will be measured by critical markers along the way, including increasing the number of diverse judicial applicants, increasing the number of resources available to decision makers, and supporting judicial well-being programs that promote long-term success of diverse judges, to name a few.
Statewide Data on Race, Ethnicity, and Gender Demographics of Colorado's Judges as of August 31, 2021
| Race / Ethnicity | # of Judges | % of Judges | Colorado Population** |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Indian / Alaska Native | 1 | 0.3% | 1.6% |
| Asian | 6 | 1.8% | 3.5% |
| Black / African American | 12 | 3.6% | 4.6% |
| Hispanic / Latino | 32 | 9.5% | 21.8% |
| White, Not Hispanic / Latino | 284 | 84.0% | 67.7% |
| Two or More Races - Not Hispanic / Latino | 3 | 0.9% | 3.1% |
| 338 | 100.0% | 102.3% |
| Gender | # of Judges | % of Judges | Colorado Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| Male | 198 | 58.6% | 50.1% |
| Female | 140 | 41.4% | 49.9% |
| 338 | 100.0% | 100.0% |
*Unless otherwise noted, the data provided in this table reflects responses from county court, district court, and Court of Appeals Judges of the Colorado state courts as well as the Justices of the Colorado Supreme Court that were active and serving on the bench as of August 31, 2021. The data does not include demographic information for judges that were appointed but not yet taken their oaths of office as of August 31, 2021, Denver County Court judges, Magistrates, or Water Referees.
** Based on 2018 Colorado Population Data provided by the Colorado State Demography Office. The 2020 Census data by district was not yet available through the Colorado State Demography Office.