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Shall Judge Katharine "Jenny" Ellison of the Larimer County Court be retained in office?

Larimer County, Colorado
Retention race

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,

Katharine "Jenny" Ellison

Nonpartisan · Incumbent · Official site

Katharine Ellison has been a Larimer County Court judge since Gov. Jared Polis appointed her in 2020. A former prosecutor focused on appeals and juvenile cases, she is known for using remote hearings to widen court access and for helping people who represent themselves.

Track record

Track record — General

General · 1 record

  • Won her first retention vote as Larimer County Court judge on 2022-11-08, with 100,846 yes votes and 33,465 no votes (75% yes).

    November 8, 2022

    Source: coloradosos.gov

Track record — Legal Competence

Legal Competence · 4 favorable

  • Rated as meeting performance standards by the 8th Judicial District judicial performance commission, 8-0, in 2026. It praised her written opinions and said her spoken rulings in court could be clearer.

    August 4, 2026Favorable on Legal Competence

    Source: judicialperformance.colorado.gov

  • Rated as meeting performance standards by the 8th Judicial District judicial performance commission, 10-0, in 2022. In its survey, 94% of attorneys said she met standards.

    August 9, 2022Favorable on Legal Competence

    Source: judicialperformance.colorado.gov

  • Appointed Larimer County Court judge by Gov. Jared Polis on 2020-01-23, replacing retiring Judge Peter Schoon. She took the bench February 27, 2020.

    January 23, 2020Favorable on Legal Competence

    Source: colorado.gov

  • Won a prosecution appeal, as a Larimer County prosecutor, that restored a child sex offender's 16-years-to-life sentence. The Colorado Supreme Court upheld that win on 2015-06-15 (Hunsaker v. People).

    June 15, 2015Favorable on Legal Competence

    Source: courtlistener.com

Sources: judicialperformance.colorado.gov · larimer.gov