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June 04, 2010 01:44 AM UTC

Chief Justice Mary Mullarkey Retiring

  • 50 Comments
  • by: RedGreen

( – promoted by Colorado Pols)

Colorado Supreme Court Chief Justice Mary Mullarkey, a 1987 Romer appointment to the high court and a recent target of the Clear the Bench campaign, said Thursday afternoon she’s resigning effective Nov. 30.

Gov. Bill Ritter can appoint her replacement, after a panel nominates three possibilities, but sitting justices will decide who gets to be chief, the GJ Sentinel’s Chuck Ashby notes.

Leading candidates include Justices Gregory Hobbs, Michael Bender and Alex Martinez. Hobbs was appointed to the bench in 1997, a year before Bender and Martinez.

UPDATE: Statement from the Judicial Branch, and send-offs from John Suthers and Ritter, follow.

Chief Justice Mary Mullarkey announces her retirement

DENVER – Colorado Supreme Court Chief Justice Mary Mullarkey, who was appointed to the bench in 1987 by Gov. Roy Romer and selected by her colleagues to serve as Chief Justice in 1998, announced her retirement, effective Nov. 30, 2010, at an afternoon news conference.

After 23 years serving the people of Colorado from the Supreme Court bench, Chief Justice Mullarkey, 66, decided now was the right time to step down and pursue other interests.

The Supreme Court Nominating Commission later this summer will interview applicants for the upcoming vacancy and nominate three candidates to the governor, who then will appoint a new associate justice. Members of the court will select a new chief justice.

Chief Justice Mullarkey thanks every current and past member of the Judicial Department for their commitment to improving the administration of justice for the citizens of Colorado and asks for their continued support and dedication to the mission of the department, and is grateful for the opportunity to serve the public.

“The highest calling for any attorney is public service,” she said. “I feel lucky I have had the opportunity to serve, and have greatly enjoyed not only the work of a Supreme Court justice, but also the relationships I’ve formed with my colleagues and others in the Judicial Branch.”

Before joining the court, Chief Justice Mullarkey practiced law for 19 years, including as head of the Colorado Attorney General Office’s Appellate Section and as Colorado’s Solicitor General. She also served as legal advisor to Gov. Richard D. Lamm and held legal positions with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Department of the Interior.

Attorney General John Suthers issued the follwing statement praising Mullarkey, a longtime ideological foe:

“Chief Justice Mullarkey has served the state of Colorado with distinction both on the court and during her time with the Colorado Attorney General’s Office,” Suthers said. “While we have not agreed on every issue, I salute the dedication of the Chief Justice to public service and her work to make the judicial system in Colorado more accessible and open to the public, such as through the Court in the Community Program. She also has done outstanding work in making the Ralph L. Carr Justice Center a reality.”

Ritter issued the following statement:

“In her 23 years of public service on the state’s highest court, Chief Justice Mullarkey has faithfully interpreted Colorado’s Constitution, statutes and values. Her strong leadership, wisdom and respect for the rule of law have guided the Court through many difficult and challenging issues. I have long admired her deeply held belief that the courts must be an open and accessible venue where we resolve our most important disputes, uphold our Constitution and protect our children and most vulnerable citizens.

“Chief Justice Mullarkey has helped shape our legal landscape for the better, and we will benefit from her rulings, her public service and her legacy for years to come.”

 

Comments

50 thoughts on “Chief Justice Mary Mullarkey Retiring

  1. This sticks it to John Andrews and his fellow goons at Clear the Bench.  They were hoping to wipe out a full majority of the court this fall.  Now, whoever is chosen to fill mullarkey’s seat will serveuntil 2012 and go for a retention vote in that year.

    I’ve known Justice mullarkey many years.  I admire her service.   Don’t forget, she even cast the decisive vote that brought the death penalty back to Colorado.

    She was fair and courageous.  But watching the physical strain of her job, I think she made the decision that is best for her.  I’m not surprised…many of us thought she would leave after getting the new judicial complex authorized.  And they’re digging dirt on it now.

      1. “Clear the Bench” had zilch, zero, nada chance of succeeding. Andrews has tried the same tactic in other years with zilch, zero, nada success. Andrews has totally jumped the shark.

        The only time judges and justices lose retention votes are when they have had some sort of personal shenanigans or an outrageous, widely reported decision.

        No, Mullarkey wasn’t at all scared of that silly old John Andrews – and shame on you for suggesting other than the truth: that she is voluntarily retiring after serving with distinction for years despite great personal sacrifice.

        Or are you calling John Suthers a liar?

      2. If you do, which I don’t see how you could not have known given the fact that it was mentioned in this thread, then you’re a moron and a jerk.

        If you didn’t know, I’m sure an apology would suffice.

        1. Presuming two decades of service while suffering from MS wasn’t a good reason to retire, what would she have to lose to wait until November to see if CTB was effective?  Oh, wow, she’d be forced to retire, at worst.  

          Or, in all probability just keep her job.

          Stop looking at your pee pee’s and thinking you have power.

          1. Are you kidding me?  If she waits until thin, it is very possible that the new governor, not Ritter, would get to appoint her replacement, and she doesn’t want there to be any chance that that governor will be a Republican.  I like Malarkey a lot, but she is politically savvy and knows what to do.  

          2. then in all probability she could have continued to serve. Nobody had said she was out because of MS before she made the announcement.

            Stop looking at sex pee’s comments and thinking you have power.

      3. of an event being caused by something completely unrelated to it reminds me of the story (possibly apocryphal) of a cult in the early 60s which, at the direction of their leader, prayed to be saved on judgment day, which the cult leader identified as a specific and imminent date. When that date came and went without event, the cultists all rejoiced at what they considered conclusive proof of the power of their prayers.

        When people start with arbitrary certainties, that interpret everything in their light, perceiving support for their prefered beliefs where none exists. It is the diametrical opposite of reason, and it is the characteristic that defines you.

      4. This sticks it to John Andrews and his fellow goons at Clear the Bench.  They were hoping to wipe out a full majority of the court this fall.  Now, whoever is chosen to fill mullarkey’s seat will serve until 2012 and go for a retention vote in that year.

        Let’s hope the clear the bench folks have the same level of insight as BJ and Lib, who see the loss of an ability to vote against this seat as a “clear victory”

      5. is your utter stupidity!

        I love it.  

        You not only bet on the Titanic against the iceburg, you went double or nothing on the instant replay;-)

          1. see above — that Mullarkey’s retirement PREVENTS clear the bench from replacing her this cycle, because her Dem replacement won;’t be voted on til ’12. Because he called you on blatant ignorance (declaring a setback ot be a victory), you of course ignored it.

            1. If Mullarkey had stood for retention election, and lost, wouldn’t Ritter be the one to appoint her successor anyway?  Assuming she resigned immediately after the election?

              1. I’m not sure we’ve ever had a supreme court justice defeated since we went to the “Missouri Plan” in 1966.  Knowing Mullarkey as I do, I think she would have served out the remainder of her term, two months or so.  

  2. post as Chief Justice for as long as she has, despite her advancing MS is truly remarkable.

    I have seen her deliver more than one of her State of the Judiciary addresses and she has been quite physically frail in the last couple.

    The appointment process, which gives the Governor a choice from the top three candidates proposed by a blue ribbon panel, is one important reason why Colorado’s courts are less politicized than those of many other states.  The process both removes people without judicial temperment from the pool of potential nominees and makes the position paletable to good candidates who don’t have extensive political connections and lack the time, aptitude and money to mount election campaigns.

  3. Here’s a woman who’s been a judge on the state supreme court for 23 years. 16 of those years, she had to deal with MS. Oh, and before that she practiced law for 19 years.

    Do you REALLY think a couple months of shouting by a small group of people is going to influence her? REALLY?!

  4. One thing that has not been mentioned is that this is likely to guarantee a Dem Chief Justice next year when redistricting and reapportionment comes out.  Since Ritter does the appointment, regardless what happens with Clear The Bench (and I agree with the commenters who say that they are likely to have absolutely no impact whatsoever in November, just like in the past), there will continue to be a Dem majority on the bench.

    About the only purely political thing that the Supreme Court Chief Justice does is appoint members of the Reapportionment Commission next year.  Mullarkey withstood (admirably) a lot of criticism for her Dem appointments to that Commission in ’01.  Highly likely we will see more Dem appointments from the new CJ in ’11, which will definitely have an impact on the political balance of the Commission!

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