DENVER - Justice Michael L. Bender was named as Chief Justice of the Colorado Supreme Court on Wednesday. Justice Bender's fellow justices named him to head the court, effective Dec. 1, 2010.
Justice Bender succeeds Chief Justice Mullarkey, who announced her retirement in May, and whose last day on the bench will be Nov. 30, 2010. Chief Justice Mullarkey joined the Court on June 29, 1987, and was named Chief Justice on Aug. 3, 1998
"I am pleased and honored to be selected by my colleagues to serve in this capacity," said Justice Bender. "I look forward to continuing the important initiatives Chief Justice Mullarkey undertook in her remarkable career and working with the other branches of state government to ensure our courts are prepared to face the challenges of the future."
Justice Bender joined the court in January 1997. He was in private practice from 1979 to 1997. He also served in public defender offices in Denver, Jefferson County and for the State of Colorado and also worked for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. He received his undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College in 1964 and his JD from the University of Colorado School of Law in 1967. Justice Bender is married to Helen H. Hand, Ph.D., and they have five children and five grandchildren.
"Justice Bender has been a great colleague and valued member of the Court," Chief Justice Mullarkey said. "I am confident Justice Bender will serve Colorado well in his new role."
Justice Bender is the 44th member of the Court to be named Chief Justice since Colorado's statehood in 1876.
0 In his new role, Bender will be responsible for naming the four final members of the 11 member bipartisan commission that will reapportion the Colorado Legislature. By law, no more than six members may be of the same political party.
