Colorado’s 5th Judicial District has announced that there will be a vacancy to fill on the Summit County court when the sitting county court judge’s term expires at the beginning of next year.

Judge Edward Casias will not stand for reelection in 2024, leaving a vacancy on the county court next Jan. 4. To fill Casias’s position, the 5th Judicial District Nominating Commission will meet this July 24 at the Summit County Justice Center to interview and select nominees for appointment by the governor to the office of county judge, according to a news release.

To be eligible, an applicant must be a qualified elector of Summit County at the time of investiture and must have been admitted to the practice of law in Colorado, the release states. The current annual salary for the position is $184,704. 

The initial term of office of a county judge is a provisional two years. After that, the incumbent county judge – if approved by electors – has a four year term, according to the news release.

The nominating commission members for the 5th Judicial District are Chris Romer of Vail; Phyllis Adams of Idaho Springs; Karen McCarthy of Leadville; and Patricia Oliver, Maryjo Zweig and Sarah Thorsteinson of Breckenridge.

Applications are available on the state judicial website at courts.state.co.us/Careers/Judge.cmf.