A state court of last resort / Established 1879

Colorado Supreme Court

Denver · A court of last resort in Colorado.

The Colorado Supreme Court is the highest court in Colorado. Its justices are chosen by gubernatorial appointment from a nominating commission, followed by retention elections. This page lists every justice to serve on the court, current and former, with when they joined the bench and whom they succeeded.

Justices in history

Currently serving

Merit selection

Selection

10-yr

Term

Current bench verified against the court’s official roster, 2026-07-02.

Current justices

Former justices

Justice	Years
Allison Hartwell Eid	2006
Nathan B. Coats	2000
Nancy E. Rice	1998
Michael L. Bender	1997–2014
Alex J. Martinez	1997–2011
Gregory J. Hobbs Jr.	1996
Rebecca Love Kourlis	1995–2006
Gregory K. Scott	1993–2000
Mary J. Mullarkey	1987–2010
Anthony Vollack	1986–1998
Howard M. Kirshbaum	1983–1997
William D. Neighbors	1983–1986
Joseph R. Quinn	1980–1993
Jean E. Dubofsky	1979–1987
Luis D. Rovira	1979–1995
Jim R. Carrigan	1976–1979
William H. Erickson	1971–1996
Robert B. Lee	1969–1983
James K. Groves	1968–1980
Paul V. Hodges	1967–1987
Donald E. Kelley	1967–1979
Hilbert Schauer	1965–1967
Robert H. McWilliams Jr.	1961–1970
Edward E. Pringle	1961–1979
William Edward Doyle	1959–1961
Edward C. Day	1957–1976
Albert T. Frantz	1957–1966
Frank H. Hall	1956–1964
Felix L. Sparks	1956–1956
Leonard v. B. Sutton	1956–1968
Henry S. Lindsley	1955–1956
George H. Bradfield	1952–1957
John R. Clark	1951–1956
Francis Knauss	1951–1961
O Otto Moore	1949–1969
Frank L. Hays	1947–1951
George E. Lohr	1947–1997
George A. Luxford	1947–1949
Mortimer Stone	1945–1955
Frank B. Goudy	1942–1944
William S. Jackson	1941–1953
Otto Bock	1939–1942
Norris C. Bakke	1937–1947
William Lee Knous	1937–1947
John C. Young	1935–1945
Francis E. Bouck	1933–1941
E V. Holland	1933–1959
Benjamin C. Hilliard	1931–1951
Wilbur M. Alter	1928–1957
Charles C. Butler	1927–1937
John T. Adams	1925–1935
John W. Sheafor	1923–1928
Greeley W. Beck	1921–1931
Greeley W. Whitford	1921–1931
John H. Denison	1919–1929
Haslett P. Burke	1918–1949
George W. Allen	1917–1927
James H. Teller	1915–1925
Tully Scott	1913–1923
Morton S. Bailey	1909–1922
William A. Hill	1909–1919
George W. Musser	1909–1915
Sebastian H. White	1909–1919
Charles F. Caswell	1907–1907
Julius C. Gunter	1905–1907
Robert W. Steele	1901–1910
John Campbell	1895–1937
William H. Gabbert	1893–1897
Luther M. Goddard	1892–1901
Charles D. Hayt	1889–1898
William E. Beck	1879–1889

How a justice reaches this court. Justices of the Colorado Supreme Court are appointed by the governor to 10-year terms and then face yes-or-no retention elections. A judicial nominating commission sends names to the governor, who appoints; after a provisional term the justice stands for retention for full 10-year terms. Selection methods vary by jurisdiction and have changed over time; this page reflects the court’s current method (source: National Center for State Courts). Open any justice to see their tenure and whom they succeeded.

Source: Current roster: Colorado Judicial Branch — Supreme Court Judges and Staff (coloradojudicial.gov) and CourtListener / Free Law Project (bulk data); selection method from the National Center for State Courts. Data as of 2026-07-02 (official roster); historical bench 2026-03-31 (CourtListener bulk snapshot). Verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).