Erin Lynn Sokol

Erin Lynn Sokol was appointed to the Fourth Judicial District Court on August 1, 2017, and became chief judge of the Fourth Judicial District in early 2024. She has presided over civil, domestic relations and felony criminal dockets, and she now hears a felony criminal docket alongside her administrative duties as chief judge. Voters retained her in 2020 with 75.22 percent of the votes cast on the question: 240,051 yes and 79,084 no.

Before joining the bench she practiced law at private firms in Washington, D.C., and Colorado Springs. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan in 1996 and her law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 1999. She has given presentations to Leadership Pikes Peak, the El Paso County Citizen College, school groups and the Girl Scouts, and has presided over high school and college mock-trial competitions and Teen Court trials.

The Fourth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance voted 10 to 0 that she meets performance standards. Too few people completed the surveys for the results to go to the commission.

The commission writes that her demeanor "is described as respectful and dignified" and that "Her judicial temperament is particularly calm in demanding situations." It finds her clear both in answering confusing and difficult questions and in her written decisions. It adds that "she reliably completes all her administrative duties as Chief Judge of the district."