Judge Larry Schwartz: A Renaissance Man Retires His Robes, 0720 COBJ, Vol. 49, No. 7 Pg. 52
| Author | BY G. DAVID MILLER, ON BEHALF OF THE FOURTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT BENCH |
| Position | Vol. 49, 7 [Page 52] |
PROFILES IN SUCCESS
BY G. DAVID MILLER, ON BEHALF OF THE FOURTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT BENCH
After 23 years on the Fourth Judicial District Court Bench, Judge Larry Schwartz retired in May. Still so much the picture of the ideal judge, he remains the beneficiary of one of the bench's most flattering running jokes: From time to time, when judges involved in some public matter have been asked to supply their photos, they've often jokingly suggested substituting Judge Schwartz's portrait for their own.
In other words, Judge Schwartz has been our ideal, with an iconic reputation derived as much from his debonair good looks as the heart beneath his robes and the sharp legal mind towering above. He doesn't just look the part through and through. He is the very image of what all judges aspire to be.
A Model of Excellence
Judge Schwartz has somehow managed to maintain that sterling reputation despite having been randomly assigned more high-profile, legally thorny, and outright notorious trials than any other judge in recent memory. One year, he set the modern-day record on our bench for the number of days in court presiding over jury trials—we profoundly hope his record remains intact—and more jurors in El Paso County have likely had personal encounters with His Honor than with any other judge.
Coloradans should be thankful for their native son's iron man constitution and constant excellence, because over the years Judge Schwartz has done nothing less than elevate the reputation of our judiciary to the rest of the state and beyond.
Known as a rare "judges' judge" and rarer still as a "lawyers' judge," Judge Schwartz and a few colleagues sat next to each other at a judicial conference a couple of years ago while a criminal defense lawyer and a district attorney gave a case law update. During their presentation, they kept referring to how the judge in a notable case ("a very good judge—one of the best") had rendered "perfect" findings, upon subsequent appellate court review. Later we confirmed what we'd all suspected: The "perfect" trial judge was none other than Schwartz, who sat silently, though probably somewhat abashed, throughout the presentation.
A Lifetime of Leadership
Judge Schwartz seemed destined to lead in one field or another. Raised in a humble...
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