Colorado
Colorado’s highest court is the Colorado Supreme Court. The court has six associate justices and one chief justice, who is selected by majority vote of the supreme court justices. (Source: Colorado Supreme Court; Colorado Constitution)
Judicial Selection
The governor appoints Colorado Supreme Court justices from a list provided by a judicial nominating commission. After at least two years on the court, the justice stands in an unopposed yes/no retention vote in Colorado’s next general election. Justices serve 10-year terms and can stand for additional terms through retention elections. The governor fills interim vacancies from a list provided by the judicial nominating commission. The mandatory retirement age is 72.
State Constitution
Colorado’s first and only constitution was adopted in 1876. As of January 1, 2024, it had 169 amendments. (Source: John Dinan, 2024)
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Why We Should Care About Diversity on the Bench
New data shows women and people of color are underrepresented on state high courts.
Supreme Court and Election Law Still Feel the Fallout 25 Years After Bush v. Gore
The 5–4 decision started a long slide in public approval for the court, accentuated by a widening partisan gap.
Bush v. Gore Introduced a Fringe Theory that Threatened Elections Decades Later
The “independent state legislature theory,” shut down in 2023 by the U.S. Supreme Court, would have robbed state courts of the power to review state laws related to federal elections.
Judging Democracy: A Former Justice Reflects on Bush v. Gore 25 Years Later
The legal battles over the 2000 presidential election were the beginning of a cautionary tale reminding us that democracy does not sustain itself.
State Court Oral Arguments to Watch for in December
Issues on the dockets include taxpayers’ standing to sue, incarcerated people’s rights to acquire property, and claims Instagram’s design is addictive.
State High Courts Split on Laws Letting Survivors of Sexual Abuse Sue After Expiration of Statutes of Limitations
State supreme courts have emphasized different constitutional provisions to decide whether bills reviving time-barred civil causes of action for child sexual abuse claims are constitutional.
Everyone Benefits When Judges Come from a Variety of Backgrounds
Amid attacks on “diversity, equity, and inclusion,” the need for representative state supreme courts is as urgent as ever.
State Challenges to Immigration Enforcement Practices
Recent lawsuits in Wisconsin, New York, and California explore questions about the role of state law in federal immigration enforcement.