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Michael Bender
Michael L. Bender was the chief justice of the seven member Colorado Supreme Court. He was nominated by his peers to serve as chief justice on December 1, 2010 following the retirement of Mary Mullarkey. He was first appointed to the court in the state's Commission-selection, political appointment method of judicial selection by Governor Roy Romer in 1997. Justice Bender was successfully retained in 2000 and in 2010.[1][2] He retired from the bench on January 7, 2014, when he reached the state's mandatory retirement age of 72.[3]
Education
Bender earned his undergraduate from Dartmouth College in 1964. He earned his J.D. from the University of Colorado School of Law in 1967, the same year in which he also attended the Institute of Criminal Law and Procedure, Masters Program at Georgetown Law Center and the Barrett E. Prettyman Fellowship Training.[2]
Career
- 1997-2014: Justice, Colorado Supreme Court
- 1993-1997: Attorney, Michael L. Bender, P.C.
- 1983-1993: Attorney, Bender & Treece, P.C.
- 1981-1986: Faculty Member, University of Denver College of Law
- 1979-1980: Attorney, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
- 1975-1979: Public Defender, Jefferson County, Colorado
- 1974-1975: Associate Regional Attorney, Denver Regional Litigation Center Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
- 1968-1971: Deputy State Public Defender[2]
Awards and associations
Awards
- 2006: Distinguished Achievement Alumni Award, Colorado School of Law
- 2000: Outstanding Judicial Officer of the Year
- 1990: Robert C. Heeney Memorial Award, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- 1988: Co-winner, Denver Bar Association Volunteer Lawyer of the Year
- 1967: Faculty Award for Outstanding Student Work, University of Colorado Law Review[2]
Associations
- Member, Colorado Supreme Court, Chief Justice's Commission on the Legal Professions, 2010-Present
- Member, Colorado Supreme Court, Fairness and Diversity Committee, 2010-Present
- Liaison, Judicial Discipline Commission, 2009
- Member, Colorado Supreme Court, Planning and Analysis Standing Committee, 2008-2010
- Member, Colorado Supreme Court, Water Court Standing Committee, 2008-2009
- Chair, Colorado Judicial Code of Conduct Revision Committee, 2007-2009
- Chair, American Bar Association Criminal Justice Standards Committee, Government Access to Third Party Records, 2007-Present
- Member, Colorado Supreme Court, Judicial Ethics Advisory Board, 2006-Present
- Chair, Judicial Building Steering Committee for the New Ralph Carr Justice Center, 2006-Present
- Chair, Jury Reform Standing Committee, 2006-Present
- Board Member, Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System, 2006-2010
- Adjunct professor, University of Colorado School of Law, Professional Ethics, 2004-2007
- Co-Chair, Colorado Supreme Court, Standing Committee of Colorado Rules of Professional Conduct, 2003-2010
- Member, Colorado Supreme Court, Caseflow Leadership Taskforce, 2002
- Member, Colorado Supreme Court, Colorado Judicial Branch Mentoring Committee, 2001-2003
- Member, Colorado Supreme Court, Committee on Ethical Issues in Family Law, 2000-2003
- Member, University of Colorado School of Law, Alumni Board 1999-2001
- Member, Governor's Task Force on Civil Justice Reform, 1999
- Member, Colorado Supreme Court, Public Education Committee, 1998-2005
- Member, Colorado Supreme Court, Colorado’s Attorney Fund for Client Protection, 1998-2010
- Member, Colorado Supreme Court, Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee, 1997-2010
- Member, Colorado Supreme Court, Attorney Regulation Advisory Committee, 1997-2010
- Co-Chair, Colorado Supreme Court, Committee to Review and Revise Attorney Regulation System, 1997-1998
- Member, American Bar Association, Criminal Justice Standards Committee, 1997-2000
- Member, U.S. District Court Committee for Criminal Justice Act for District of Colorado, 1991-1993
- Chair, American Bar Association, Criminal Section, 1990
- Board of Directors, Colorado Trial Lawyer’s Association, 1985-1987
- Board of Directors, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, 1984-1991
- Board of Governors, Colorado Bar Association, 1980-1982, 1989-1991[2]
Elections
2010
| Colorado Supreme Court, Associate Justice 2010 General election results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
Michael Bender 
|
872,387 | 60.4% | ||
| Against retention | 571,029 | 39.6% | ||
- Click here for 2010 General Election Results from the Colorado Secretary of State.
- Main article: Colorado judicial elections, 2010
Performance Evaluations
The Colorado Office of Judicial Performance Evaluation voted 7-1 to recommend Bender for retention. The COJPE reviews the answers of attorneys and District Judges and asked a variety of questions to determine the Judge's performance. The score is rated on a 4 point scale similar to school grades. Since 1990, which was the first election year after the statutory creation of judicial performance commissions and the use of performance evaluations, all Colorado Supreme Court justices and Court of Appeals judges standing for retention have received do retain recommendations.[4] Until 2010 no additional information on judicial performance has been made available to the public.
| Question classification | Attorney score | District Judge score | Combined average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Impartiality | 3.24 | 3.47 | 3.36 |
| Clear opinions | 3.27 | 3.38 | 3.33 |
| Adequate explanation of opinion | 3.32 | 3.47 | 3.4 |
| Timely response | 3.26 | 3.29 | 3.28 |
| Response without criticism | 3.51 | 3.61 | 3.56 |
| Response based on law | 3.16 | 3.4 | 3.28 |
| Not ruling on extra issues | 3.07 | 3.35 | 3.21 |
| Respect towards all parties | 3.66 | 3.75 | 3.71 |
| No ex parte communications | 3.74 | 3.81 | 3.78 |
| Overall | 3.36 | 3.36 | 3.36 |
Political affiliation
Judge Michael Bender is listed as "nonpartisan." Because Colorado does not hold elections, but rather judges are selected on merit by the governor, he has no campaign contributions.[2]
Political ideology
In October 2012, political science professors Adam Bonica and Michael Woodruff of Stanford University attempted to determine the partisan ideology of state supreme court justices. They created a scoring system in which a score above 0 indicated a more conservative-leaning ideology, while scores below 0 were more liberal.
Bender received a campaign finance score of -0.8, indicating a liberal ideological leaning. This was more liberal than the average score of -0.29 that justices received in Colorado.
The study was based on data from campaign contributions by the judges themselves, the partisan leaning of those who contributed to the judges' campaigns, or, in the absence of elections, the ideology of the appointing body (governor or legislature). This study was not a definitive label of a justice, but an academic summary of various relevant factors.[6]
See also
External links
- Colorado Supreme Court
- Bender Biography
- Denver Post.com, "Retiring state Supreme Court chief justice 'ready to rock and roll'," July 18, 2013
- The Denver Post, "Sketchy evidence raises doubt," July 14, 2007
- "Kobe's legal legacy," Fall 2004
- Bender's 2011 State of the Judiciary address
Footnotes
- ↑ The Denver Post, "Michael L. Bender to lead Colorado's top court," November 11, 2010
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Colorado Supreme Court website, Judge Bender Bio
- ↑ Denver Post.com, "Retiring state Supreme Court chief justice 'ready to rock and roll'," July 18, 2013
- ↑ Email correspondence with Jane B. Howell, Executive Director of the CCJPE, Aug 27, 2010
- ↑ Colorado Office of Judicial Performance Evaluation, Review of Justice Bender
- ↑ Stanford University, "State Supreme Court Ideology and 'New Style' Judicial Campaigns," October 31, 2012
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
