HB25-1298 makes a targeted change to Colorado’s judicial performance commission structure by creating a new Twenty-Third Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance, effective December 1, 2025. The bill provides for the appointment of the new commission’s members under the same general appointment framework used for district commissions, while allowing one current member of the Eighteenth Judicial District Commission who resides in the new district to be appointed to the new commission and continue serving out the remainder of that original term.
The bill also sets staggered initial terms for the new commission’s members, with some terms ending in 2027 and others in 2029, and directs the Eighteenth Judicial District Commission to conduct interim evaluations for judges in both the Eighteenth and Twenty-Third Judicial Districts during 2025. The new subsection establishing the Twenty-Third Judicial District Commission is temporary and is repealed July 1, 2028, reflecting that the measure is intended to manage the transition as the new judicial district comes online.
Impact
The bill amends Colorado Revised Statutes section 13-5.5-104 governing the state and district commissions on judicial performance. Its practical effect is to expand the judicial performance evaluation system to include a newly created judicial district, adjust commission membership and term provisions for that district, and temporarily assign evaluation duties during the transition period. It affects judicial administration, commission appointees, and judges in the Eighteenth and Twenty-Third Judicial Districts, but does not alter substantive criminal, civil, or regulatory law.
Sentiment
The available voting history suggests broad bipartisan support and little controversy. The bill advanced unanimously through House Judiciary, passed the House 63-0, moved through Senate Judiciary with a recommendation for the consent calendar, and then passed the Senate 32-0. The absence of recorded opposition or committee testimony indicates the measure was viewed as a routine administrative adjustment rather than a contested policy change.
Contention
There is no visible substantive contention in the provided record. The only potentially notable issue is the transition from the Eighteenth Judicial District Commission to a new Twenty-Third District Commission, including how existing commissioners are carried over and how interim evaluations are handled during 2025. However, the unanimous votes and consent-calendar recommendation indicate those details were not politically divisive.