Gov. Jared Polis named Susan Blanco, the chief district court judge in Larimer and Jackson counties, to the Colorado Supreme Court on Tuesday, his second appointment to the state’s highest bench.
Blanco, a Fort Collins native and University of Colorado Law School graduate, is known for her work on an initiative to boost mental health services for defendants in the 8th Judicial District.
“It is the honor of a lifetime to serve on the Colorado Supreme Court,” Blanco said at a Colorado Capitol news conference where Polis announced her appointment. “I am the daughter of immigrants and come from a family of political asylees. I am a living promise of the American dream.”
Blanco’s parents are Iranian. She said at the news conference that her “heart grieves for the people of Iran and others in the Middle East, including my extended family, who do not enjoy the protections of the rule of law that we hold sacred here in the United States.”
Before becoming a judge, Blanco worked as a local prosecutor and as a defense attorney. She also served as a guardian ad litem, representing the interests of children and adults in court who are deemed unable to represent themselves.
“I’ve conducted home visits, jail visits and appeared in dozens of Colorado courtrooms, witnesses firsthand the extraordinary diversity of our communities and the very vast barriers that many face in accessing justice,” she said, surrounded by other Colorado Supreme Court justices.
The governor’s first appointment to the Colorado Supreme Court came in November 2020, when he picked Maria Berkenkotter to fill a vacancy on the seven-judge panel.
Blanco beat out two other finalists — 1st Judicial District Court Judge Christopher Zenisek and Solicitor General Andrea Wang — for the vacancy, left by the resignation of Justice Melissa Hart in December.
“When I think about Justice Blanco, a few words come to mind: innovation, excellence, creativity, hard work,” Polis said at the news conference. “These are values that we need across society and, of course, reflected in the judiciary.”
Polis said he was looking for someone “who would be a strong operator” and who would go beyond just making judicial decisions.
“That was a critical factor in distinguishing Justice Blanco, with her operations achievements in northern Colorado as well as her contributions to the courts as a whole,” the governor said.
He added: “Justice Blanco is not afraid to roll up our sleeves and get to work.”
The three finalists to fill Hart’s seat were selected by Colorado’s Supreme Court Nominating Commission.
This is a developing story that will be updated.