Judge Elizabeth B. Volz Retirement Creates 23rd District Court Vacancy; Interviews Dec. 9

The 23rd Judicial District Nominating Commission will meet on December 9, 2025, at the Douglas County Combined Courthouse, 4000 Justice Way, Castle Rock, CO 80109, to interview and select nominees for appointment by the governor to the office of district court for the 23rd Judicial District (Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln counties). The vacancy will be created by the retirement of the Honorable Elizabeth B. Volz. The vacancy will occur on February 2, 2026.

The Colorado Judicial Branch press release setting the schedule requires prospective applicants to submit materials by email no later than 4 p.m. on November 25, 2025 and states that “must be e-mailed to the address listed in the instructions below no later than 4 p.m. on November 25, 2025. Late applications will not be considered.” The release also instructs that anyone wishing to suggest a candidate must send a letter to any nominating commission member with a copy to the ex officio chair by 4 p.m. on November 18, 2025.

Application filings should include the applicant’s name and “23rd JD District Court” in the subject line; the release notes applicants “should receive an automatic response to your email submission” and advises contacting the Supreme Court if no automatic reply is received. The Colorado Supreme Court Clerk’s office is listed as a question resource at 720-625-5150, and the Judicial Branch media contact named on the release is Amy Woodward at 720-550-1194 and Amy.Woodward@judicial.state.co.us.

The nominating commission for the 23rd Judicial District, as listed in the press release, is composed of Ara Ohanian of Castle Pines, Patrick O’Rourke of Highlands Ranch, Tracie Keesee of Elizabeth, Kevin Stansbury of Hugo, Jennifer Vasquez-Stitt of Castle Rock, Fay Matsukage of Parker and Jayant Patel of Parker. An editor’s note in the release includes contact information for members but the publicly excerpted copy is truncated; the release names one member email as fay@doidacrow.com in the excerpted text.

A separate, user-supplied notice in the public record lists different dates: it states “The 23rd Judicial District Nominating Commission announced a judicial vacancy on March 3, 2026 and set an interview date for April 13, 2026.” That March 2026 timeline conflicts with the Colorado Judicial Branch release dated October 30, 2025 that set a December 9, 2025 interview meeting and November 25, 2025 application deadline; the published materials available in the record do not reconcile the two schedules.

Procedurally, the Colorado release reiterates that nominees selected by the commission are forwarded for gubernatorial appointment and that eligibility requires an applicant be “a qualified elector of the 23rd Judicial District at the time of investiture,” indicating the appointee must reside in the district when sworn. The vacancy affects court coverage for Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln counties and the timing of nominee selection will determine whether a replacement is in place by the February 2, 2026 retirement effective date.

Residents and potential applicants seeking clarity on which timeline governs the 23rd Judicial District vacancy can consult the Colorado Judicial Branch media contact listed on the release or call the Supreme Court Clerk’s office at 720-625-5150 for records of the nominating commission meeting, nominee lists and any gubernatorial appointment actions. The unresolved date discrepancy leaves open whether nominees were selected in December 2025 or whether a later March 2026 notice and April 13, 2026 interview date supersede the earlier schedule.