Two men have been selected by the 6th Judicial District Nominating Commission to be considered by the governor to fill a vacancy on the La Plata County court bench created by the appointment of Judge Anthony Baca to the district court.
Anthony Edwards of Silverton and R. Reid Stewart of Hesperus were selected by the commission Wednesday. Gov. Jared Polis has 15 days from Wednesday to appoint one of the men as county court judge in La Plata County, according to the Colorado constitution.
Both men were nominated and forwarded to the governor for consideration, along with Baca, for the same position on Dec. 9. The governor chose Baca, but then decided to move him to the vacancy in the district court. The move restarted the process to fill the county court position. Five others applied along with Edwards and Stewart.
Edwards currently serves as the San Juan County judge for the 6th District, as well as the municipal judge in Silverton. Stewart was formerly a prosecutor for the 6th Judicial District, and is in the process of opening a private law practice in Durango.
Whomever is chosen will serve an initial two-year term before standing for retention at the next general election. The annual salary for the position is $175,908.
Comments regarding the nominees may be sent to the governor at: gov_judicialappointments@state.co.us
gjaros@durangoherald.com
This story has been updated to reflect Edwards’ and Stewart’s fuller credentials.
