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Colorado intermediate appellate court elections, 2026
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The terms of six Colorado intermediate appellate court judges will expire on January 12, 2027. The six seats are up for retention election on November 3, 2026. The filing deadline is August 3, 2026.
Judges with expiring terms
- This is a list of the judges who must stand for retention election in 2026 in order to remain on the bench. Judges may choose not to stand for election. The list is subject to change if judges retire or are appointed.
■ Grant Sullivan
■ Karl Schock
■ Katharine Lum
■ Elizabeth Harris
■ Rebecca Rankin Freyre
■ Pax Moultrie
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Colorado
Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.
Selection
The 22 judges on the Colorado Court of Appeals are selected through the assisted appointment method. Each judge is appointed by the governor from a list of names compiled by the Colorado Supreme Court Nominating Commission.[1][2]
Initial terms last at least two years, after which justices must stand for retention in a yes-no election. Subsequent terms last eight years.[1]
Qualifications
To serve on this court, a judge must be:[3]
- a qualified elector in the state;
- licensed to practice law in the state for five years; and
- under the age of 72 (retirement by 72 is mandatory).
Chief justice
The court's chief judge is appointed by the chief justice of the supreme court to serve indefinitely.[4]
Vacancies
If a midterm vacancy occurs on the court, the seat is filled as it normally would be if the vacancy occurred at the end of a judge's term. A judicial nominating commission recommends to the governor three qualified candidates for an appellate court vacancy (two or three for a trial court vacancy), and the governor selects a successor from that list. After occupying the seat for two years, the newly appointed judge stands for retention in the next general election. The judge then serves a full eight-year term if he or she is retained by voters.[1]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Colorado Judicial Branch, "Judicial Nominating Commissions," accessed March 28, 2023
- ↑ Colorado Judicial Branch, "Court of Appeals," accessed March 28, 2023
- ↑ Colorado Judicial Branch, "What it takes to become a Judge," accessed March 28, 2023
- ↑ Colorado Judicial Branch, "Colorado Supreme Court," accessed March 28, 2023
Federal courts:
Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of Colorado • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of Colorado
State courts:
Colorado Supreme Court • Colorado Court of Appeals • Colorado District Courts • Colorado County Courts • Denver Probate Court • Denver Juvenile Court • Colorado Municipal Courts • Colorado Water Courts
State resources:
Courts in Colorado • Colorado judicial elections • Judicial selection in Colorado
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