Hilary Gurney

Judge Gurney presides over civil and juvenile cases. For the two years before her appointment in May 2024 she was a magistrate in the district, where she helped create its Competency Docket to speed access to services for eligible candidates. Before that she was a deputy public defender for 15 years in Colorado Springs and one year in Steamboat Springs. She earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan in 2003 and her law degree from the University of Colorado Law School in 2007. She volunteers as a mock trial coach at a local college.

The Fourth Judicial District's commission voted 9 to 0 that she meets performance standards, with one commissioner absent.

The commission lists her demeanor, administrative performance and integrity as strengths and writes that she "has excelled as a juvenile judge." It also writes: "Without any prior civil litigation experience, an area for improvement for Judge Gurney is her knowledge of civil pretrial practice and procedure, although she is working hard to become more familiar with this area of law." The commission raised deficiencies in her civil orders with her and writes that she "was very receptive to the Commission’s feedback and suggestions". It concludes: "By all accounts, Judge Gurney is working hard to learn what is necessary to become a good district court judge in all disciplines."