Dana Nichols
CO · Judge, Weld County Court
Dana Nichols has been a Weld County Court judge since 2007 and leads its Competency Court docket for defendants with mental health issues. Before that, she was a deputy public defender for nearly 10 years and earned her law degree at the University of Colorado.
Track record
Track record — General
General · 1 record
Won her fourth retention vote to stay on the Weld County Court. Voters had also kept her in 2010, 2014 and 2018.
November 8, 2022
Source: historicalelectiondata.coloradosos.gov
Track record — Legal Competence
Legal Competence · 3 favorable
Found to meet performance standards by the 19th District judicial review panel, 8-0. Some lawyers said her written rulings needed more legal citations. The panel credited her with leading the creation of the Competency Court docket for defendants with mental illness.
August 4, 2026Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: judicialperformance.colorado.gov
Rated as meeting performance standards by the 19th District judicial review panel, 7-0. The panel said she sometimes struggled to keep her docket moving on time.
August 9, 2022Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: judicialperformance.colorado.gov
Appointed to the Weld County Court by Gov. Bill Ritter, filling one of three open judge seats in the 19th Judicial District.
August 21, 2007Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: spl.cde.state.co.us
Past race Dana Nichols ran in:
- Shall Judge Dana Nichols of the Weld County Court be retained in office? · November 3, 2026 · Weld County, Colorado · incumbent