The Judicial Officer Outreach (JOO) Program has announced the launch of a new virtual series, “Your Honor: Journey to the Bench,” set to begin in January 2026. The initiative is an extension of the 2025 Your Honor: Journey to the Bench symposium and aims to support attorneys and aspiring judicial officers interested in pursuing judicial positions.
The weekly one-hour sessions are designed for attorneys and prospective judges who plan to apply for a judgeship within one to three years. According to the JOO, these sessions will provide practical tools, candid discussions, and firsthand accounts from current members of the judiciary. The program is based on feedback collected during JOO’s statewide listening tours.
Justice Richard Gabriel of the Colorado Supreme Court, who serves as an advisor for JOO, said, “Through these programs, we hope to eliminate the mystery and anxiety that, to many, inhere in the path to the bench, thereby ensuring that those talented and highly qualified attorneys who aspire to become judges will feel ready and comfortable to apply and to take the bench when the opportunity arises.”
Sessions will be held each Wednesday from January 7 through February 18, 2026. Topics include daily life as a judge, building professional connections, overcoming imposter syndrome, expanding legal expertise beyond one’s specialty, upholding ethics on the bench, and balancing work with personal life.
Registration information is available at https://shorturl.at/wXQhY. For additional questions about either the virtual series or JOO itself, individuals can contact Nga Vương-Sandoval at nga.vuongsandoval@judicial.state.co.us.
The Judicial Officer Outreach Program was established by Colorado SB 19-043 with a mission to inform communities about judicial vacancies and provide educational programming related to applying for judicial office. It is noted as being unique both within Colorado and nationally.
