Shall Judge Jennifer Lynn Melton of the Jefferson County Court be retained in office?
What does this office do?
- Deciding trials in the county
- Ruling on evidence and setting sentences in criminal cases
- Deciding family, probate, and civil disputes
Affects: Public Safety and Crime Control, Criminal Justice and Civil Liberties, Housing Affordability,
Jennifer Lynn Melton
Nonpartisan · Incumbent · Official site
Jennifer Lynn Melton has been a Jefferson County Court judge since 2019, hearing criminal, misdemeanor, and civil cases. She practiced civil and family law in Colorado from 1995 and later ran a solo criminal defense and child welfare practice, after clerking on the Texas Court of Appeals.
Track record
Track record — General
General · 2 records
Was kept on the Jefferson County Court by voters in a retention election, 156,888 yes to 63,520 no (about 71 percent yes).
November 8, 2022
Source: coloradosos.gov
Was appointed to the Jefferson County Court by Gov. Jared Polis, effective July 1, 2019. Before that, she ran a solo practice in Golden, mostly as court-appointed counsel in criminal and child welfare cases.
June 13, 2019
Source: colorado.gov
Track record — Legal Competence
Legal Competence · 1 favorable
The First Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance voted 9-0, with one member absent, that she meets performance standards. It praised her fair sentencing and mentoring of new lawyers, and said she sometimes moved too fast and needed more care with crime victims' rights.
October 8, 2026Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: judicialperformance.colorado.gov