Eight candidates will be considered to fill the recently vacated seats of two judges in Southwest Colorado. On Oct. 15, the candidates will be considered by the 6th Judicial District Nominating Commission at the La Plata County Combined Courthouse in Durango.
Sixth Judicial District Chief Judge Jeffrey Wilson’s seat opened due to his retirement, and Archuleta County Judge Justin Fay’s seat is up for grabs due to his appointment to the Colorado 6th District Court bench, according to a news release from the Colorado Judicial Branch.
Six candidates have thrown their hats into the ring for Wilson’s seat, including Katie Dittelberger of Durango, Anthony Edwards of Silverton, Matthew Margeson of Bayfield, Douglas Reynolds of Durango, Reid Stewart of Hesperus and Kristen McLaughlin Tarrin of Dove Creek. Judge Fay’s seat, on the other hand, will be filled by either Anthony Edward of Silverton or Matthew Margeson of Bayfield.
“Judges retire, or they take an appointment elsewhere within the district, and so then that leaves a seat open,” said Colorado Judicial Branch spokesperson Amy Woodward.
Woodward said when the commission meets on Oct. 15, they will weigh each candidate’s qualifications for each role. The commission will determine which candidates will be appointed, which will then be sent to Gov. Jared Polis’ office to be formally appointed.
“When the commission meets, usually what happens is that same day the clerk announces applicants are going to be moving forward for appointments,” Woodward said. “Once they’re picked, we then send out a release that says, ‘Hey, these are who the nominations are that we’re sending to the governor’s office.’”
According to the Colorado Office of Judicial Performance Evaluation, a district judge serves a six-year term, while a county judge serves a four-year term. All judges, however, must undergo a retention election after two years.
Woodward wrote in an email that the difference between county judges and district judges are the type of cases both rule over.
“County courts are specific to one county and handle lower-level criminal cases and civil disputes involving less than $25,000,” Woodward wrote. “District courts are our courts of general jurisdiction and handle more significant criminal and civil cases. County court cases can be appealed to the district court, whereas district court cases are appealed to the court of appeals.”
sedmondson@durangoherald.com
