Finalists nominated to fill judicial vacancy

Three finalists have been nominated to fill the 20th Judicial District Court judge vacancy that will be left when Judge Patrick Butler retires on May 11.

Elizabeth H. Kelley of Boulder, Michael Thomas Kotlarczyk of Lafayette and J. Chris Larson of Louisville were nominated by the 20th Judicial District Nominating Commission on Friday. According to a release, Gov. Jared Polis has 15 days from Monday to appoint one of the nominees.

Comments regarding any of the nominees for the district, which encompasses all of Boulder County, may be sent via email to the governor at gov_judicialappointments@state.co.us.

According to the Colorado Judicial Branch website, Kelley has been a 20th Judicial District magistrate since 2023 and previously practiced as a solo practitioner and was the owner of The Kelley Firm. She specialized in the criminal defense of indigent adults and juveniles through the Office of Alternative Defense Counsel, according to the post. She also worked in the Office of the Public Defender, prior to being in private practice.

Kotlarczyk was an assistant attorney general in the Public Officials Unit of the Attorney General’s Office, according to the Colorado Bar Association. Prior to that, he was a litigator in private practice and focused on fiduciary litigation and other complex business disputes, according to the website.

The CACP 2018 Annual Conference website shows that Larson has served in the Department of Justice as the counsel in the Office of the Assistant Attorney General, a Senior Trial Counsel, a trial attorney and an assistant attorney. Prior to the Department of Justice, Larson was a law clerk for the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.