The Colorado Supreme Court swore in its new chief justice, Justice Monica Márquez, on July 26. Márquez is the first Latina in Colorado’s history to hold the title of chief.
Márquez succeeded Justice Brian Boatright as chief justice after his three-year term in the leadership position. The rotation of the chief after three years comes from a unanimous vote in 2020 of the justices to move to shorter rotational terms for the office of the chief justice.
Márquez was born in Austin, Texas, and grew up in Grand Junction, Colorado. She is the second chief justice from the Western Slope and the third female chief justice in Colorado history. Of the 13 LGBTQ+ state supreme court justices currently serving in the U.S., Márquez is the longest-tenured.
Her father, Jose Márquez, was the first Latino judge to serve in Mesa County District Court and the first Latino judge appointed to the Colorado Court of Appeals.
“I am deeply grateful to Chief Justice Boatright for his leadership. He has overseen significant changes to the administration of the branch in recent years, and his humble leadership has been a model for us all,” said Márquez in a press release. “As he now hands me the baton, I am ready to carry forward the momentum his leadership has created. Our highest mission remains serving the people of Colorado and upholding the integrity of the judicial system. I am also committed to strengthening our relationships with government and community partners and making the Judicial Branch an exceptional workplace.”
Former Gov. Bill Ritter appointed Márquez to the Colorado Supreme Court in November 2010 to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of former Chief Justice Mary Mullarkey.
Before her appointment, Márquez had an extensive career in public service and law. Márquez served in several roles at the Colorado Attorney General’s Office under former Attorneys General Ken Salazar and John Suthers. As deputy attorney general, she led the state services section in representing many Colorado executive branch agencies and Colorado’s statewide elected public officials, including the governor, treasurer, secretary of state and attorney general.
Prior to joining the attorney general’s office, Márquez practiced general commercial litigation and employment law at Holme Roberts & Owen, LLP. She clerked for Judge David Ebel of the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals and for Judge Michael Ponsor of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts.