Colorado Supreme Court Justice Melissa Hart plans to retire in January after being on personal leave since late October.
Hart, appointed to the bench in 2017 by Gov. John Hickenlooper, submitted her retirement notice Friday to Chief Justice Monica Márquez, the Colorado Judicial Branch said in a news release. She will remain on leave through her retirement on Jan. 5.
In a statement, Hart said she plans to focus on access to justice for low and middle-income Coloradans and representing litigants without attorneys in the family law system.
“I remain deeply committed to the work that is central to Colorado’s Judicial Branch — preserving the rule of law and serving the public,” Hart wrote in her letter to Márquez. “Colorado, like every other state in the country, is struggling to serve the public in these areas (of access to justice and family law systems). I joined the bench because I felt called to address these issues, and I plan to continue this work after retirement.”
Márquez, in a statement, lauded Hart’s “unwavering commitment, energy and efforts to expand access to justice” that “have significantly benefited our state. Justice Hart’s absence will be deeply felt throughout the branch. Her legal expertise, steadfast dedication to the rule of law, and significant work on numerous committees will leave a lasting legacy.”
In addition to her role on the bench, Hart served as an adjunct professor at the University of Colorado Law School and the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. She previously spent time as a professor at the University of Colorado Law School, where she directed the Byron R. White Center for the Study of American Constitutional Law.
Hart maintained an active pro bono practice, the judicial department said, representing clients in family law cases. She has focused her career on access to justice, constitutional law, judicial decision-making, legal ethics, employment discrimination and civil procedure.
The Judicial Department said it would announce steps for replacing Hart at a later time.
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