Tanks and Good-Bye, 0618 COBJ, Vol. 47, No. 6 Pg. 20

AuthorNANCY E. RICE, CHIEF JUSTICE.
PositionVol. 47, 6 [Page 20]

47 Colo.Law. 20

Tanks and Good-Bye

Vol. 47, No. 6 [Page 20]

The Colorado Lawyer

June, 2018

NANCY E. RICE, CHIEF JUSTICE.

THE CHIEF’S CORNER

I want to use this final installment of Chief ’s Corner to talk about retirement (specifically mine) and the future of the Judicial Branch. First things first: I’ve decided to retire as of the end of June. I will have been on the Supreme Court for 20 years then (and a judge for 31 years, counting my time as a district court judge). That’s long enough. It’s time to give back my chair and let someone else have the job. However, as with many transitions, this is a time filled with mixed emotions.

My time on the bench has been amazing, to say the least. As a justice, I have had the opportunity to hear thousands of cases and write over 300 opinions, and I even remember a few of them. I couldn’t have done this without a wonderful group of law clerks, many of whom are already becoming prominent members of our profession. Despite the sheer number of cases I have heard, I’ve made a conscious effort to never lose sight of what’s at stake, the stress litigants feel while waiting for their case to be resolved, and the lives affected by our decisions. I’m sure there are plenty of litigants and attorneys who disagree with my decisions, but I never decided a case without deliberate thoughtfulness and thorough analysis and, I hope, this came across in my writing.

Reflecting on my career, I recognize that I am forever indebted to everyone who helped me get to this position. My time at the U.S. Attorney’s Office was amazing and invaluable. It was there that I learned the importance of a strong team under the leadership of an inspirational leader, Bob Miller. Collectively we accomplished more, and taught each other more, than I imagined possible. To this day, I have maintained strong relationships with everyone I worked with in that office.

My time on the district court bench was humbling and taught me how incredibly difficult it is to be a judge. With some mentoring and experience, I learned how to make difficult decisions quickly and comprehensively. As attorneys, we tend to overanalyze every decision and fret over the additional data we need to make a fully informed decision. That’s simply not possible as a judge. The ability to make a decision in these circumstances is, I think, an important skill for every attorney and judge. When I’m asked about...

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