Gov. Jared Polis on Monday Melina Hernandez to serve on the Arapahoe County Court in the 18th Judicial District. She will fill a vacancy created by the appointment of Judge Don Toussaint to the District Court. The vacancy is effective Jan. 12.
Hernandez is currently a part-time magistrate in the Denver Juvenile Court, a position she has held since 2017. She also is a bilingual family court facilitator for the Denver District Court, a position she has held since 2013. Previously, Hernandez was a domestic law clerk for Justice William Hood in the 2nd Judicial District; domestic law research fellow for Judge Christoper Cross in the 18th Judicial District; and fellow at the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System. Hernandez earned her bachelor’s degree from University of Colorado-Boulder in 2007 and her law degree from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law in 2011.