Susan Blanco is the Chief Judge of the 8th Judicial District of Colorado and is the first female chief judge for the district. She has presided over criminal, civil, probate, domestic relations, terminations, and adoptions. Prior to the bench, she served as a Deputy District Attorney followed by over a decade in private practice focusing on criminal defense, juvenile delinquency, dependency and neglect, and municipal prosecution. She helped create the first competency court in Colorado, which was recently awarded a human relations award, and she also developed the award-winning Latinx Task Force. Chief Judge Blanco helped develop and launch the CWBA’s DEI initiative called the “Lawyers Teaching for Change” pipeline program and the CBA's DEI initiative called the Colorado Diverse Attorney Community Circle (CODACC). Some of her many activities involve her work with the CBA Executive Council, CWBA Board of Directors, and COBALT, in addition to the Chief Judge’s Council and leading the judicial branch’s Pathways to Access Committee. She is also currently a commissioner on the Colorado Access to Justice Commission.
