Gordon Gallagher

District of Colorado
	Tenth Circuit
Judgeships
	Posts: 7
	Judges: 7
	Vacancies: 0
Judges
	Chief: Philip Brimmer
	Active judges: Philip Brimmer, S. Kato Crews, Daniel Domenico, Gordon Gallagher, Regina Rodriguez, Charlotte Sweeney, Nina Nin-Yuen Wang; Senior judges:; Christine Arguello, Lewis Babcock, Robert Blackburn, R. Brooke Jackson, John Kane, Marcia Krieger, William J. Martinez, Raymond P. Moore

Nomination Tracker
Nominee Information
	Name: Gordon Gallagher
	Court: United States District Court for the District of Colorado
Progress
	Confirmed 197 days after nomination.
	Nominated: September 6, 2022
	ABA Rating: Well Qualified
	Questionnaire: Questionnaire
	Hearing: December 13, 2022
	Hearing Transcript: Hearing Transcript
	QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more)
	Reported: February 9, 2023
	Confirmed: March 22, 2023
	Vote: 53-43

Gordon Gallagher is a judge on the United States District Court for the District of Colorado. He was nominated to the court by President Joe Biden (D) on September 6, 2022, and confirmed by the United States Senate on March 22, 2023, by a vote of 53-43.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4] Gallagher was one of 235 Article III judges nominated by President Joe Biden (D) and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. To see a full list of judges appointed by Joe Biden, click here.

The United States District Court for the District of Colorado is one of 94 U.S. District Courts. They are the general trial courts of the United States federal courts. To learn more about the court, click here.

Prior to joining the court, Gallagher was a federal magistrate judge with the District of Colorado in Grand Junction, Colorado.^[1]

Judicial nominations and appointments

United States District Court for the District of Colorado (2023-present)

See also: Federal judges nominated by Joe Biden

On September 6, 2022, President Joe Biden (D) nominated Gallagher to the United States District Court for the District of Colorado.^[1]^[2] Gallagher's nomination was returned to the president at the sine die adjournment of the U.S. Senate on January 3, 2023.^[2] The president renominated Gallagher on January 23, 2023. Gallagher received commission on March 22, 2023.^[3] To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.

Confirmation vote

The U.S. Senate confirmed Gallagher by a vote of 53-43 on March 22, 2023.^[3] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.

Gallagher confirmation vote (March 22, 2023)
Party	Yea	Nay	No vote
Democratic	45	0	3
Republican	5	43	1
Independent	3	0	0
Total	53	43	4

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

In a committee hearing on February 9, 2023, Gallagher was reported to the full Senate, after a 14-7 committee vote.^[4] Click here for a list of other nominees awaiting a committee hearing.

Nomination

On September 6, 2022, President Joe Biden (D) nominated Gallagher to the United States District Court for the District of Colorado.^[2] Gallagher's nomination was returned to the president at the sine die adjournment of the U.S. Senate on January 3, 2023.^[5] The president renominated Gallagher on January 23, 2023.^[3]

Gallagher was nominated to replace Judge William J. Martinez, who assumed senior status on February 10, 2023.^[2]

The American Bar Association (ABA) rated Gallagher Well Qualified.^[6] To read more about ABA ratings, click here.

Biography

Education

Gallagher earned a bachelor's degree from Macalester College in 1991 and a law degree from the University of Denver College of Law in 1996.^[1]

Professional career

2023-present: Judge, United States District Court for the District of Colorado
2012-2023: Federal magistrate judge for the District of Colorado
2000-2023: Solo criminal defense practice
1997-2000: Deputy District Attorney for the Mesa County, Colorado District Attorney’s Office
1996-1997: Associate, Underhill and Underhill P.C. in Greenwood Village, Colorado^[1]

About the court

The United States District Court for the District of Colorado is one of 94 United States district courts. The court is based out of Denver at the Alfred A. Arraj United States Courthouse. It also has a second courthouse in Denver and courts in Colorado Springs, Grand Junction, and Durango. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit based in downtown Denver at the Byron White Federal Courthouse.

The Counties of Colorado (click for larger map)

The District of Colorado has original jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.

The jurisdiction of the District of Colorado consists of all the counties in the state of Colorado.

To read opinions published by this court, click here.

The federal nomination process

Federal judges are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. There are multiple steps to the process:

The president nominates an individual for a judicial seat.
The nominee fills out a questionnaire and is reviewed by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing with the nominee, questioning them about things like their judicial philosophy, past rulings or opinions, etc.

As part of this process, the committee sends a blue slip to senators from the home state in which the judicial nomination was received, allowing them to express their approval or disapproval of the nominee.

After the hearing, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote to approve or return the nominee.

If approved, the nominee is voted on by the full Senate.
If the Committee votes to return the nominee to the president, the president has the opportunity to re-nominate the individual.

The Senate holds a vote on the candidate.

If the Senate confirms the nomination, the nominee receives a commission to serve a lifelong position as a federal judge.
If the Senate does not confirm the nomination, that nominee does not become a judge.

External links

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by William J. Martinez	United States District Court for the District of Colorado 2023-Present	Succeeded by -
Preceded by -	United States District Court for the District of Colorado 2012-2023	Succeeded by -