Nancy Woodruff Salomone

Nancy Woodruff Salomone is the chief judge of the Twentieth Judicial District. She was appointed to the Twentieth Judicial District Court in October 2017 and has presided over criminal, civil, domestic relations and probate dockets. As chief judge she administers the county and district courts in the district, convenes local leadership councils and sits on the statewide Chief Judge Council. She is a member of the Multidistrict Litigation Panel, the Criminal Benchbook Committee and the Judicial Equity Project.

Before her appointment she was a partner in a Boulder law firm, a solo practitioner and a deputy state public defender in Denver. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1994 and her law degree from the University of Michigan Law School in 1998. Voters retained her in 2020 with 85.58 percent of the votes cast on the question.

The commission finds her "sharp, organized, empathetic, and highly skilled at legal analysis." It credits her with advancing "innovations in court processes" as the judge presiding over the post-judgment Adult Integrated Treatment Court, which focuses on substance abuse, and over the recently formed pre-judgment Competency Docket. The commission adds: "She is valued for her firm and fair management of the courtroom, her balanced concern for both victims and the accused, and her diligent administration of the 20th Judicial District."

The commission interviewed Judge Salomone, the District Attorney and a representative of the Boulder defense bar, and held a public meeting to invite comments.