Elizabeth L. Harris

Elizabeth L. Harris was appointed to the Colorado Court of Appeals in 2015. Voters retained her in 2018 with 63.49 percent of the votes cast on the question: 1,268,530 yes and 729,496 no.

She began her career as a law clerk to Judge John Porfilio of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, then spent five years at the Federal Public Defender's Office in Colorado and joined the law firm of Jacobs Chase, later acquired by Husch Blackwell. In 2013 she opened a law firm focused on appellate litigation. She is a graduate of Georgetown University and New York University School of Law.

One commissioner was absent for the 9 to 0 vote, and one seat was vacant. The commission received survey responses from 5 attorneys and 22 judges and writes that "93% of responding judges and attorneys agreed" that she meets performance standards.

The commission finds that "her opinions are clear, well-written, and reasonably timely." At oral argument, it writes, "she is well-prepared, succinct in her questions, respectful, and seeks to draw out the issues most important to the Court’s decision-making process." Judges, it reports, praised "her writing ability, her thoughtfulness and her engagement in committee work for Colorado Courts."

Although the commission finds her opinions reasonably timely, it reports that lawyers and judges both named her pace as a weakness. Lawyers "noted the length of time required for Judge Harris to issue an opinion as a weakness." Judges "also noted Judge Harris’ timeliness in issuing decisions as a weakness." The commission calls her "a valuable member of the Court of Appeals."