John J. Briggs

John J. Briggs was appointed to the Weld County Court in December 2010. He presides over Division 6, which handles misdemeanors, traffic violations, bond hearings and county civil cases. Voters retained him in 2022 with 63.13 percent of the votes cast on the question: 61,232 yes and 35,769 no.

He earned his law degree from Washburn University School of Law in 1993 and worked on the Central Research Staff of the Kansas Court of Appeals from 1993 to 1996. He was a deputy public defender in Kansas and Colorado from 1996 to 2004 and had a private defense practice in Greeley from 2004 to 2010. He serves on the board of the Weld Food Bank, where he has been president and vice president, volunteers as a mock trial judge and takes part in the statewide Judicial Peer-to-Peer coaching program.

The Nineteenth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance voted 8 to 0 that he meets performance standards, with two commissioners absent. The commission writes that it "found Judge Briggs to be an exceptionally efficient, knowledgeable, and kind jurist." It writes: "He maintains high courtroom standards with a confident, approachable demeanor. Strong personal awareness allows him to read between the lines and adapt seamlessly to the uniqueness of each case."

The commission reports: "Survey results show highly consistent scores across all categories." The commission writes that Judge Briggs "is a distinct asset to the 19th Judicial District."