New Eagle County judge will provide some relief to an overtaxed justice system

When Eagle County gets a new county judge in 2026, that person will help relieve a crushing load on current Judge Inga Causey.

In a recent interview, Paul Dunkelman, the Chief District Judge for the 5th Judicial District, said that the county court in Eagle County, where most cases start, sees roughly 5,000 cases per year. That covers everything from speeding to DUIs to domestic violence and more serious criminal cases, as well as civil cases. On a typical Tuesday, arraignment day, Causey will have an average of 115 cases on the docket. That’s about three-and-a-half minutes per case over a seven-hour day, Dunkelman said. But, he added, those days rarely last just seven hours.

State Sen. Dylan Roberts was one of the sponsors of a recent bill that will add 15 new judges to the state’s judicial staff. Roberts is a former deputy district attorney in the 5th Judicial District, which encompasses Eagle, Summit, Clear Creek and Lake counties. Roberts said attorneys, for both the prosecution and the defense, are routinely in the courthouse from 8:30 a.m. to 7 or 8 p.m. on arraignment days.

“At the end of the day, the judge is making really serious decisions,” Roberts said, adding that no one wants to see those decisions affected by the stress of a long work day.

In an interview in his chambers at the Eagle County Justice Center, Dunkelman added that the few minutes given to cases on arraignment day don’t serve anyone well.

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“It’s not fair to the community,” Dunkelman said.

With a new judge on the bench, someone, whether a defendant or a victim, can walk out of a courtroom feeling their voice was heard, Dunkelman said.

“We can meet … what the community deserves a lot better with this new judge,” he added, referring to the justice people can receive by having more time to have their cases heard.

Crushing caseloads statewide

At the legislature, Roberts said he and other sponsors of the bills researched every court in the state, looking at caseloads and other factors, and found that Eagle County was near the top as far as judicial workload was concerned.

And, Roberts noted, while the legislature is dominated by representatives from the Front Range, he and other sponsors were able to get judicial positions added in Eagle, Montrose/Delta and La Plata counties, as well as a position on the Eastern Plains.

While the original request in the bill was for 45 new positions, the final bill found funding for 15 new judges across the state.

Given the state’s current fiscal crunch — lawmakers had to find a way to work around a budget shortfall of roughly $1.2 billion — Roberts said he felt fortunate to get 15 judgeships funded.

“There were times when it looked like we were going to get zero,” he said. But, he added, “Providing a justice system is a core function of government. Even waiting a year” would have a damaging effect.

There’s a lot of enthusiasm for the new judges throughout the state’s judicial branch.

In an emailed statement, Colorado Supreme Court Chief Justice Monica M. Marquez wrote, “We are grateful to the bill sponsors and the General Assembly for moving this bill through the legislative process, especially in this tight budget year,” said Chief Justice Márquez. “We know legislators are making hard decisions on funding requests, and we thank them for supporting our courts’ ability to serve their communities.”

Early retirements, fewer applicants

Roberts noted that the workload facing the state’s judges is leading to both early retirements and fewer applications for vacancies.

With funding now available for a second county court judgeship, there’s a lot of work to do between now and July of next year.

A bipartisan judicial nominating committee will review applicants once that process opens. That committee will have represenatives from across the judicial district. A justice from the Colorado Supreme Court will run the interview process.

The committee will then send the names of three nominees to Gov. Jared Polis, who will appoint the person to fill the position. That person will serve a provisional two-year term, then face voters in a retention election. That person will face voters in retention elections every four years thereafter.

While the state funds the judicial branch, Eagle County pays for the justice center. That means the county will fund a new courtroom and judge’s chambers.

Dunkelman acknowledged that all the needed work probably won’t be done by the time the county’s new judge takes the oath of office.

July of 2026 may seem a long way away, he noted. “But it isn’t,” he said.