Colorado Lt. Gov. Diana Primavera appointed Richard Schmittel to the newly created La Plata County Court judgeship in the 6th Judicial District earlier this week.
Schmittel was selected from two other finalists – Douglas Reynolds and Shane Goranson, both of Durango – forwarded to the governor’s office by the judicial nominating commission.
He will preside over county court, which handles misdemeanors, traffic violations, civil cases under $25,000, evictions and protection orders.
The new position was created in response to an overburdened county court docket.
“County court is the people’s court, right? More people fall through that courtroom than any of the district courts combined. And I think you are given a rare opportunity to be the face of the judicial system for a large swath of the community,” Schmittel said. “I take that opportunity, that pressure and expectation, very seriously.”
Schmittel, who currently practices law in Westminster, has a background in criminal and civil litigation. Up until his appointment, he was a senior associate at Robinson & Henry, P.C.
He also has a strong connection to La Plata County, where he earned a business degree from Fort Lewis College in 2009.
After graduating cum laude from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 2013, he began his legal career as a prosecutor in the La Plata County district attorney’s office.
“I'm so excited about this opportunity. You know, if you'd have told me when I was a younger kid that I had this opportunity, I just don’t think I’d ever believe you,” Schmittel said.
Raised in a single-parent household, Schmittel said he overcame significant adversity on his path to the bench. Those early experiences, he said, gave him a deep sense of empathy and understanding – qualities he considers essential for a fair and ethical judge.
Asked to name his favorite U.S. Supreme Court justice, Schmittel pointed to Justice Sonia Sotomayor, whose judicial philosophy, he said, resonates strongly with him.
He believes in applying the law impartially while recognizing the lived experiences of those who appear in court – as well as those who sit on the bench.
“My judicial philosophy will balance accountability with rehabilitation,” Schmittel said. “I have and will bring with me a strong sense of personal and professional responsibility and a belief that judges need to be consistent, accessible and community-focused.”
Schmittel said he believes in applying the law impartially, but with a “clear eye on how it affects real people and communities.”
While Schmittel said his background has shaped his character in ways well suited to uphold the mantle of justice, he believes it is his diverse legal experience that best prepares him for the bench.
As a civil litigator on the Front Range, Schmittel handled cases ranging from real estate and property insurance disputes to landlord-tenant negotiations.
But Schmittel said it’s his time as a prosecutor in La Plata County that provides the strongest foundation for the work ahead. It gave him a familiarity with the court and the community – something his civil litigation did not.
“That docket is very heavily a criminal docket. It’s got some civil things, of course, but you know, the large portion of the cases are the criminal docket, so that experience, I think, will absolutely help me,” he said.
Schmittel will take the bench July 1.
jbowman@durangoherald.com
