Colorado Supreme Court Chief Justice Brian Boatright on March 12 appointed Judge Elizabeth McCarthy as the presiding judge of the Denver Juvenile Court, effective immediately.
“I am pleased to appoint Judge McCarthy to this important role and look forward to working with her,” Boatright said in an announcement. “She has been on the bench with Denver Juvenile Court for the past five years, and has the experience needed to serve as the Court’s next leader.”
McCarthy was appointed as a district court judge to the Denver Juvenile Court in January. Before that, she served as a magistrate in the Denver Juvenile Court beginning in 2019. Her docket covers all areas of juvenile law, according to the announcement.
Before she joined the bench, McCarthy was a senior assistant attorney general from 2016 to 2019, and assistant attorney general from 2011 to 2016. She has also served as a municipal prosecutor at the Lakewood City Attorney’s Office and deputy district attorney at the Denver District Attorney’s Office. McCarthy earned her bachelor’s degree from Indiana University in 2000 and her J.D. from the University of Colorado Law School in 2006.
As presiding judge, McCarthy will serve as the administrative head of the juvenile court. She is responsible for appointing the court executive, chief probation officer and clerk of court. McCarthy also will assist in personnel, financial and case-management duties, and she’ll see that the business of the courts and probation is conducted efficiently and effectively.