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CJI honored District Court Chief Judge Claude W. Appel, County Court Judge Sabino E. Romano and Magistrate Marianne M. Tims at the 2014 Judicial Excellence for Colorado Dinner. |
The 2014 Judicial Excellence for Colorado honorees were District Court Chief Judge Claude W. Appel of the 3rd Judicial District, County Court Judge Sabino E. Romano of the 17th Judicial District and Magistrate Marianne M. Tims of the 1st Judicial District.
Chief Judge Claude Appel was appointed as a District Judge in March 1986 after serving as a County Judge. Prior to his appointment as a judge, he was in private practice in Longmont, then served as a Deputy District Attorney in the Third Judicial District in southern Colorado. Judge Appel started the Huerfano County Teen Court program in 1995, operating out of both District and County Courts and in two local high schools for 16 years. Currently, he presides over two alternative drug courts in both Huerfano and Las Animas counties. These programs are examples of how Judge Appel has positively affected his district both inside and outside the courtroom.
Judge Sabino Romano was appointed County Court Magistrate in Arapahoe County in 1983, after being in private practice. In 1986 Judge Romano was appointed as an Adams County Judge by Governor Richard Lamm and has served in that position for 28 years. Judge Romano, known as one of the friendliest judges in the 17th Judicial District, has handled the full scope of County Court cases. He handles civil cases exclusively. Judge Romano processes approximately 31,000 cases and presides over 400 trials per year.
Magistrate Marianne Tims is the 1st Judicial District’s Chief Magistrate and has received much acclaim for her work protecting children and trying to resolve family issues, a specialty that she proudly embraces as her life’s work. Prior to her 2004 swearing in in Jefferson County, Magistrate Tims had been a county attorney in both Jefferson and Arapahoe counties handling child protection cases. As Chief Magistrate, she administers six other magistrates and staff. In addition to overseeing the magistrate divisions, she also coordinates with the district court divisions who hear the juvenile and domestic cases coming out of the magistrate divisions.
The Judicial Excellence Awards formally recognize judicial excellence in Colorado and the annual event raises money in support of CJI’s Judicial Education Fund, which has provided $330,000 for Colorado Judicial Education since 2005.
