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Mary Mullarkey
| Mary Mullarkey | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Colorado Supreme Court Justice | |
| Assumed office 1987 | |
| Political party | Nonpartisan |
Mary Mullarkey was the Chief Justice of the seven-member Colorado Supreme Court. She was appointed to the court as a justice by then-governor Roy Romer, a Democrat, in 1987. In 1998, she was selected by her fellow justices to serve as the court's presiding justice. Mullarkey retired from the court on November 30, 2010.[1]
Mullarkey passed away on March 31, 2021.[2]
Education
Mullarkey received her undergraduate degree from St. Norbert College and her J.D. from Harvard Law School.
Professional career
After graduating from Harvard Law in 1968, Mullarkey went to Washington, DC to work for the Interior Department. From 1975 to 1982, she specialized in appellate practice, first while heading the Appellate Section in the Colorado Attorney General’s Office and then while serving as Colorado’s Solicitor General. She has also served as the legal adviser to Governor Richard D. Lamm, held legal positions with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Department of the Interior, and engaged in the private practice of law.[3][4]
Awards and associations
In 2010, Mullarkey received the Herbert Harley Award from the American Judicature Society.[5]
Mullarkey has received the 2002 Mary Lathrop award from the Colorado Women’s Bar Association and the 2003 Judicial Excellence award from the Denver Bar Association.
Chief Justice Mullarkey is Co-Chairman of The Permanent Committee on Gender & Fairness of the Colorado Supreme Court along with James Benway, Court Administrator of the Colorado Judicial Branch.[4][6]
Political affiliation
Mullarkey is considered to be a Democrat, although her official party affiliation is "nonpartisan."
Because Colorado implemented merit selection of judges over 40 years ago, she has no campaign contributions.
On Merit Selection
In November 1966, Colorado voters adopted an amendment to the state constitution changing how judges are selected. As a result, the state’s judges are selected through merit selection. May 1, 2006, through April 30, 2007, Colorado will celebrate the 40-year anniversary of merit selection of judges in Colorado.
“Forty years ago, Colorado took a great step forward in building a better state,” says Chief Justice Mary Mullarkey. “Voters abandoned the partisan political election of judges that had prevailed since statehood, and adopted the merit selection of judges.[7]
“It was a bold and visionary move,” continues Mullarkey. “No longer would judges be subject to political whims, from that time on judges have been held accountable to the constitution and laws.”
Notable rulings of Mary Mullarkey |
|---|
On Contract Enforcement
On Criminal Justice
On Illegal Immigration
On Elections Law
On Property Rights
Regulation
|
External links
- Colorado Supreme Court
- Mullarkey Biography (dead link)
- Mountain Valley News "Judge’s decision to step down bears closer look," June 9, 2010
- Chieftain.com, "Chief justice wields clout over reapportionment," March 28, 2010
- Colorado Judicial Branch News, "Chief Justice Mary J. Mullarkey honored for 20 yeras of service on Colorado Supreme Court," July 3, 2007
- Denver Magazine, "2009 People of Power: Mary Mullarkey," December 29, 2009 (dead link)
- Law Week Colorado, "Mary Mullarkey's Tales From the Bench," July 12, 2011
Footnotes
- ↑ CBS Denver, "Colorado Chief Justice Mullarkey Retiring," June 3, 2010
- ↑ The Denver Post, "Mary Mullarkey, the first woman to serve as Colorado Supreme Court chief justice, has died at 77," March 31, 2021
- ↑ National Multiple Sclerosis Society
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Colorado State Judicial Branch, Mary Mullarkey (dead link)
- ↑ Law Week Colorado, "Colo. Chief Justice To Receive American Judicature Society Award," July 20, 2010
- ↑ Legal Momentum: Advancing Women's Rights Official Website
- ↑ Colorado Judicial Institute
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
