Judge Robert Hugh McWilliams Jr., who served as a U.S. circuit court judge for the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals and former Colorado Supreme Court chief justice, contributed to hundreds of opinions at the city, state and federal level in a judicial career that stretched for more than 62 years. His long career might have made him one of the longest-serving judges in state history.
McWilliams was born in Salina, Kansas, in 1916 and moved to Denver in 1927 after his father took a job at the University of Denver. His academic career included being named class president at South High School and at the University of Denver Law School, where he graduated with honors, and ranking first on the bar exam in 1941.
According to his April 2013 obituary, McWilliams “served as a special agent for the Office of Naval Intelligence and the Office of Strategic Services in China during World War II.” When he came back from the war, “he went back to work at the Denver DA’s office, before going into private practice,” according to a 2013 Denver Post Article.
McWilliams served as a judge in Denver Municipal Court in 1949 before he was appointed to Denver District Court in 1952. He was elected to the Colorado Supreme Court in 1960 and served as chief justice for three years. He was appointed to the 10th Circuit by former President Richard Nixon in 1970.
His long and lively judicial career stretched from the 1940s to his last case heard in 2011, when he took senior status. McWilliams was still a sitting judge when he died in April 2013, but his impressive career stands as a testament to his character for those who knew him best.
The Denver Post noted McWilliams’ colleagues held him in high esteem. “He was always very patient, and most of all he encouraged us to simply answer the question presented and not write long wordy opinions,” 10th Circuit Senior Judge Mary Beck Briscoe said to the Post. “He was humble, concerned about the common man, hardworking. He tried to be fair. He had all the good qualities of a Midwesterner, and he was very proud of being from Kansas.”
His obituary said “he was honest, ethical and steadfast,” and his colleagues mirrored the sentiment as they remembered him in 2013 at the close of his long service to the state and federal court system.