Inga Haagenson Causey

Inga Haagenson Causey was appointed to the county court bench in the Fifth Judicial District in December 2022. She sits in Eagle County. About 78 percent of her docket is criminal and misdemeanor cases; the rest is civil litigation, traffic, small claims, domestic relations and juvenile cases.

Before her appointment she was a magistrate in the 13th Judicial District and a deputy municipal judge for the towns of Minturn and De Beque. She graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 1994 and from Tulane University School of Law in 1999. She is an adjunct instructor at the Community College of Denver, where her courses include legal research and writing, constitutional law, evidence and criminal law.

The Fifth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance voted 8 to 0 that she meets performance standards, with two commissioners absent. The commission writes that she is "doing the work of almost two judges in one of the busiest courtrooms in Colorado" and that she "is humble, patient, fair, compassionate, introspective, and possesses an impressive desire to learn." It finds that she "provides timely, understandable, and clear written and verbal orders" and credits her "role in establishing a new Pretrial Services program to provide substance abuse and mental health support".

Its surveys drew responses from 11 attorneys and 22 non-attorneys, which the commission calls "a relatively small sample." It reports that she "received consistently positive reviews in her surveys from attorneys and non-attorneys, with slightly lower marks from non-attorneys." The commission writes that the most consistent constructive feedback reflects "the need for a second County Court Judge to address the large docket and improve case management, and for Judge Causey to increase assertiveness in courtroom management."