Pax Moultrie

Pax Moultrie was appointed to the Colorado Court of Appeals in January 2024, and this is her first retention election on that court. Before her appointment she was a district court judge for Denver Juvenile Court, hearing dependency and neglect, juvenile delinquency and adoption cases. Voters retained her as a district court judge in Denver in 2022 with 78.43 percent of the votes cast on the question: 152,468 yes and 41,929 no.

She began her career as a law clerk in the 1st Judicial District and then clerked for the Colorado Supreme Court. She represented county departments of human services in dependency and neglect and juvenile delinquency matters, and she served as a magistrate in the 1st Judicial District. She earned her bachelor's degree at Washington University in St. Louis and her law degree at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. She is a Fellow of the Colorado Bar Foundation and a founding member of the Irving P. Andrews Inn of Court.

The State Commission on Judicial Performance voted 9 to 0 that she meets performance standards, with one commissioner absent and one vacancy on the commission. The commission writes: "Every surveyed respondent agreed that Judge Moultrie meets Colorado’s Judicial Performance Standards."

The commission finds her opinions "thoughtful, accessible, and well written." It writes that at oral argument "she has an excellent judicial demeanor, engages with the attorneys, and is respectful of all parties." The commission reports positive comments from lawyers on her plain-language writing and from fellow judges on the perspective she brings as a former juvenile court judge. The commission commends her work on the judicial branch's well-being efforts and on educating the community about the courts, and calls her "a valuable addition to the Court of Appeals."