Chelsea Williams Ryan

Before her appointment to the Jackson County Court in July 2019, Chelsea Williams Ryan was an associate attorney with Miller and Associates Law Offices in Denver, where she practiced administrative and appellate law. Earlier she was a deputy public defender in the First Judicial District, and after law school she clerked for Judge Stoker in Twin Falls, Idaho. She earned her bachelor's degree from Marquette University in 2008 and her law degree from Gonzaga University School of Law in 2011, graduating cum laude as a Thomas More Scholar. She has been admitted to the Idaho and Colorado bars since 2011. Voters retained her in 2022 as Chelsea W. Rengel, 413 to 149, with 73.49 percent of the votes cast on the question.

The commission writes that Judge Ryan "exhibits thoughtful, fair, and well-reasoned decision-making." It voted 8 to 0 that she meets performance standards, with one commissioner absent and one vacancy on the commission. Its courtroom observations "confirm clarity in her communication, openness in her interactions, and maintaining appropriate courtroom decorum." The commission also cites "her sincere and sustained commitment to the fair and impartial administration of justice".