Kellie L. Starritt

Kellie L. Starritt was appointed to the Seventh Judicial District Court in July 2024. She hears civil, criminal, domestic relations, juvenile, mental health and probate cases in Gunnison County and domestic relations cases in Montrose County.

Before her appointment she spent seven years as a district court magistrate handling domestic relations cases in the 7th Judicial District. Before then she served as a guardian ad litem in child welfare cases and as a county attorney and was in private practice for more than 15 years. She serves on the district's Access to Justice Committee, co-chairs a committee of the statewide Children's Justice Act Task Force and leads the district's Domestic Relations Best Practices Group. She holds an undergraduate degree from Marquette University and a law degree from the University of Wyoming.

The Seventh Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance voted 9 to 0 that she meets performance standards, with one vacancy on the commission. Of the 11 attorneys responding to its survey, 10 said she meets performance standards; of the 13 non-attorneys, three said so. The commission writes that the survey comments "were overwhelmingly positive" and calls the 24 responses a small sample.

The commission "observed Judge Starritt to have an excellent demeanor, and to be patient, professional, polite and respectful to parties and counsel, and to maintain control of her courtroom." It adds that she "is organized, prepared for court proceedings, and takes time to research issues with which she is unfamiliar." Judge Starritt "told the Commission she wants to issue rulings more promptly in the general civil and criminal cases on her docket." It writes that she meets regularly with a Colorado Judicial Department mentor "for guidance on managing her caseload more effectively, and also for suggestions on being more proactive in addressing pretrial disputes and unprofessional behavior in her courtroom."