County court judges in Colorado don’t need law degrees to sit on the bench in most parts of the state.
They don’t need college degrees, either. People with high school diplomas or GEDs and no legal training can become county court judges in 45 of the state’s 64 counties, presiding over lower-level criminal and civil cases with all the authority of any other county court judge.
The other lay judges currently on the bench are: Kristei Jones, a rancher and veteran in Yuma County with a high school education, Truston Lee Fisher, a college-educated veteran whose been on the bench in Lincoln County since 1987, and Richard Medina, a college-educated former building inspector, in Crowley County.Medina is theto hold the role in Crowley County, Chief Judge Mark MacDonnell said, and being able to fill that job with non-attorneys has been critical over the years.
All new judges in Colorado go through a week-long new judge training program, said Rob McCallum, spokesman for the Colorado Judicial Department. The program covers not only basic procedure and law but also more general information on how judges should behave and when they must recuse themselves from a case.
“The attorneys, particularly the public defenders and district attorneys, when they have a new lay judge, they do an awful lot to assist that judge, collectively,” he said. “And they have the ability to communicate with me if they see issues.”
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Cook County still poised to end cash bail Sunday despite uncertainty after Kankakee County judge’s rulingCome Sunday, judges in Chicago and most other parts of the metro area will stop setting cash bail for people accused of crimes, with the decision to jail people ahead of trial depending solely on whether the judge deems them a public threat or flight risk.
Read more »
What you need to know about trash collection for New Year’sNew Year’s Day falls on a Sunday, which for most areas is a non-service day already, but some areas are affected in the days following the holiday.
Read more »
After election loss, Cuyahoga County Judge Joan Synenberg to remain on bench with governor’s appointmentDeWine appointed Synenberg, a Republican, to fill a Cuyahoga County Common Pleas term that expires in January 2025. The seat became open after Judge Deborah Turner this year decided to run for a different, open Common Pleas seat.
Read more »
Judge rules suspect in Colorado voting machine tampering case is incompetentA man accused of tampering with a voting machine during Colorado's primary election is mentally incompetent and cannot continue with court proceedings, a judge ruled Thursday.
Read more »
Judge Joan Synenberg Appointed to Fill Vacant Seat on Cuyahoga County Common Pleas CourtJudge Joan Synenberg appointed to fill vacant seat on Cuyahoga County Common Pleas court
Read more »