William Young Furse

William Young Furse was appointed a judge in 2023 and sits on the Twenty-Second Judicial District Court, where he hears criminal, civil, probate, domestic relations and juvenile cases and appeals from the county court.

He was a deputy state public defender for the 22nd and 6th Judicial Districts, practiced criminal defense privately and was a contract public defender for the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. He served two terms as the elected District Attorney for the 22nd Judicial District and, after reaching the term limit, was an assistant district attorney. He returned briefly to private practice before his appointment. He graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and John Marshall Law School in Chicago. He takes part in Leadership Montezuma, represents the judiciary on the district's Access to Justice Program and is active in the local bar association.

The Twenty Second Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance voted 9 to 0 that he meets performance standards, with one vacancy on the commission.

The commission writes that "His background as both a Public Defender and District Attorney gives him a balanced perspective on the judicial system." It adds: "As with all judges, his legal knowledge is stronger in some areas than others, and he makes ongoing efforts to learn more through formal training and consulting with fellow judges." It describes his administrative performance as "efficient, with opinions issued in a timely manner" and his courtroom demeanor as "consistently respectful, courteous, and considerate of others’ concerns such as anxiety about appearing in court or constraints in their schedules." The commission writes that "He makes special efforts to be fair to those who represent themselves without lawyers."