Zachary Ilya Malkinson

Zachary Ilya Malkinson was appointed to the Boulder County Court in 2018 and took office in January 2019. He presides over traffic, misdemeanor, civil, criminal and small claims cases. Voters retained him in 2022 with 80.31 percent of the votes cast on the question: 88,861 yes and 21,792 no.

Before his appointment he was a partner in two Boulder law firms and a solo practitioner, with a practice focused on criminal defense. Earlier he was a trial attorney for the Alameda County Public Defender's Office in Oakland, California. He earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Iowa and his law degree in 2001 at the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco, formerly UC Hastings. He was the presiding judge for the February 2025 and 2026 sessions of the Colorado High School Mock Trial competition and serves on the planning committee for the annual Judicial Conference.

The Twentieth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance voted 10 to 0 that he meets performance standards. The commission observed him in court, interviewed the District Attorney and a representative of the Boulder defense bar, and held a public meeting to invite comments.

The commission describes his judicial temperament as "engaged, respectful, and even-tempered" and his courtroom as "well managed and efficient." It writes that his decisions are "thoughtful and well-reasoned, reflecting careful consideration of the issues and a strong command of the law" and that he "effectively balances the tension between managing his docket efficiently and giving each case the time that it requires." The commission reports that attorneys and non-attorneys responding to its survey "appreciate his understanding and application of the law, and the effort that he makes to explain it in his rulings."