The 22nd Judicial District’s nominating commission is preparing to interview potential candidates to fill the soon-to-be vacant seat of District Judge JenniLynn Lawrence.
The nominating commission will make its selections on Sept. 30.
The candidates selected by the nominating commission will then be up for appointment for Montezuma County’s county judge office by Gov. Jared Polis.
The vacancy will open up Sept. 28, as Lawrence will take her seat in the 21st Judicial District Mesa County District Court. She began serving in the 22nd Judicial District in 2010.
The nominating commission includes members Bryson McCabe (Dolores), Erin Johnson (Rico), Darwin Whiteman (Towaoc), Clarisa Feuilly Osborn (Cortez) and Lewis members Peter Ortego and MB McAfee.
Those who are interested in interviewing for the judge position can find application forms at the front office of the ex officio chair of the nominating commission, Justice William Hood, III, at 2 East 14th Ave. in Denver and at the office of the court executive, Eric Hogue, at 865 North Park St., Ste. 100, in Cortez.
Applications can also be found online at coloradojudicial.gov.
The completed application should be sent to the email address listed in the application no later than Sept. 16 at 4 p.m. Late applications will not be considered.
Candidates can also be nominated to fill the vacancy, and those looking to nominate someone can provide two copies of a letter to any member of the nominating commission no later than Sept. 9 at 4 p.m.
According to the Colorado judicial branch, applicants must be qualified electors of Montezuma County and must be able to practice law in Colorado.
The annual salary is $190,245. A county judge’s term is two years, but that term can be four years if approved by Montezuma County voters during election season following the judge’s appointment.
Hogue told The Journal that Lawrence’s voter retention rates since her appointment were 74.17% in 2014, 78.67% in 2018 and 74.46% in 2022.
An invitation-only farewell event to honor Lawrence and her impact on the community will be held at the Montezuma County Combined Courts on Sept. 12 from 4 to 6 p.m.
Chief Judge Todd Plewe, the judicial officers and staff of the 22nd Judicial District, will host the event.
