Craig Peter Henderson

Craig Peter Henderson was appointed to the Twenty-First Judicial District Court by Governor Jared Polis in 2024. He had been appointed to the Mesa County Court in 2006, and voters retained him on that court in 2020 with 74.3 percent of the votes cast on the question: 56,260 yes and 19,464 no.

He grew up on the eastern plains of Colorado and graduated from McPherson College and the Washburn University law school, both in Kansas. As a lawyer he worked mostly as a prosecutor, with a small amount of private practice, and in 2002 he moved to Mesa County to prosecute for the Mesa County District Attorney's Office.

One commissioner was absent for the 8 to 0 vote, and one seat was vacant. The commission reports that its 20 survey respondents unanimously agreed that he was meeting performance standards.

The commission writes that he "has made a smooth transition from being a county court judge to a district court judge" and "cares about the people in his courtroom as people, not just cases he needs to get through." After working throughout his career to improve his judicial temperament, he "now receives high marks in this area." His case handling has improved, but he "has received mixed reviews on issuing timely orders and managing his courtroom schedule." He "has generally been complimented for his legal knowledge" and has said he wants more training in domestic relations, dependency and neglect, and some civil matters. The commission calls him "a credit to the bench."