New Douglas County Court Judgeship Created, Applications Due April 2

Castle Rock residents waiting weeks or months for a traffic hearing, a misdemeanor resolution, or a protection order may soon see shorter timelines. The Colorado Judicial Branch announced the creation of a new county court judgeship for the 23rd Judicial District, which covers Douglas County, with the seat taking effect July 1, 2026.

The position, authorized under Senate Bill 25-024, will be based at the Castle Rock courthouse and carries an annual salary of $195,001.25. County court judges handle the full sweep of everyday legal life in Colorado: traffic violations, misdemeanor criminal cases, small claims civil matters, and preliminary hearings in felony prosecutions. Protection orders also move through county court dockets. Adding a judgeship directly expands the bench's capacity to work through those cases, which represent some of the most immediate legal problems Douglas County residents will ever face.

The application window closes in days. Attorneys admitted to practice law in Colorado must submit a complete electronic packet, including a cover letter, resume, and references, to the Colorado Supreme Court Clerk's office by 4:00 p.m. on April 2. The release is explicit: late applications will not be considered.

The 23rd Judicial District nominating commission convenes April 13 at the Douglas County Justice Way office, 4000 Justice Way, Suite 2009, Castle Rock, to interview candidates and select nominees for gubernatorial appointment. Commission members represent communities spread across the county, including Castle Pines, Highlands Ranch, Castle Rock, and Parker.

Community members also have a role before that April 13 meeting. Anyone who wants to suggest a candidate or support an applicant can submit a letter directly to commission members, whose contact information the Colorado Judicial Branch made publicly available. That same transparency extends to the nominating criteria the commission will use when it evaluates applicants.

If the governor moves promptly on the nominees, a new judge could be seated at or shortly after July 1. For a county that has grown faster than almost any in Colorado over the past two decades, the addition of a judgeship to the 23rd District is a concrete, if long-overdue, measure of that growth.