Monica Márquez

Monica M. Márquez
96th Associate Justice of the Colorado Supreme Court
Incumbent
Assumed office
December 10, 2010
Appointed by Bill Ritter
Preceded by Mary Mullarkey
Personal details
Born 1969 (age 45–46)
Austin, Texas
Domestic partner Sheila Barthel
Alma mater Stanford University,
Yale Law School

Monica Marie Márquez (born 1969) is an associate justice of the Colorado Supreme Court. Previously a Deputy Colorado Attorney General, she was appointed by Governor Bill Ritter to the Supreme Court in 2010 to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Chief Justice Mary Mullarkey.[1] She was sworn in on December 10, 2010.[2]

Biography

A native of Austin, Texas, Márquez grew up in Grand Junction, Colorado and graduated as valedictorian from Grand Junction High School in 1987.[3][4] She earned a bachelor's degree from Stanford University in 1991 before spending two years with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, working with at-risk children in Camden, New Jersey, and Philadelphia.[5] She then attended Yale Law School, earning a J.D. in 1997 and serving as an editor of the Yale Law Journal.[1] She went on to clerk for two federal judges: Michael Ponsor of the District of Massachusetts and David M. Ebel of the Tenth Circuit.[6] She then worked as an associate at Holme Roberts & Owen before joining the Colorado Attorney General's office in 2002.[6]

Márquez is a past president of the Colorado GLBT Bar Association and a board member of the Colorado Hispanic Bar Association.[7] She also served as chairwoman of the Denver Mayor’s GLBT Commission.[7] Her father, Jose D.L. Márquez, was the first Latino judge of the Colorado Court of Appeals.[6]

Judicial appointment

On August 24, 2010, the Colorado Supreme Court Nominating Commission selected Márquez as one of three candidates to replace Mary Mullarkey on the Colorado Supreme Court.[8] On September 8, 2010, Democratic Governor Bill Ritter announced Márquez as his choice to replace Mullarkey.[5] The appointment won praise from her former boss, Republican Colorado Attorney General John Suthers.[5]

Márquez is the first Latina and first openly gay person to serve on the Colorado Supreme Court.[1] Her long-term partner is Sheila Barthel.[2] She is one of eight openly LGBT judges serving on state supreme courts.[9]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Ritter appoints Marquez to Colo. Supreme Court". KDVR. September 8, 2010.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Cardona, Felisa (December 11, 2010). "Newest Colorado Supreme Court justice's milestone a family affair". The Denver Post.
  3. ↑ "Justice Monica M. Márquez". Colorado Supreme Court.
  4. ↑ "Justice Márquez". The Daily Sentinel. September 9, 2010.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Cardona, Felisa (September 9, 2010). "Ritter picks Monica Marquez for Colorado Supreme Court". The Denver Post.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Sources: Monica Marquez Is Next Supreme Court Justice". Law Week Colorado. September 8, 2010.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Attorney General lauds Deputy Attorney General Monica Marquez as recipient of 2009 Richard Marden Davis Award". Office of the Colorado Attorney General. January 14, 2010.
  8. ↑ "3 finalists named for Colorado Supreme Court vacancy". Denver Business Journal. August 25, 2010.
  9. ↑ The other openly gay state supreme court judges are Justice Sabrina McKenna of the Hawaii Supreme Court, Justice Mary Yu of the Washington Supreme Court, Justice Barbara Lenk of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, Justice Andrew J. McDonald of the Connecticut Supreme Court, Justice Beth Robinson of the Vermont Supreme Court, and Justices Rives Kistler and Virginia Linder, both members of the Oregon Supreme Court.