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Governor appoints new 5th Judicial District Judge to fill vacancy left open by Mark Thompson’s retirement

The appointment fills the vacancy left open by the retirement of Judge Mark Thompson, who faced public scrutiny after he pleaded guilty to threatening his stepson with a rifle.

Gov. Jared Polis has appointed a judge to fill a vacancy on the 5th Judicial District Court, according to a news release from the Colorado Judicial Branch.

Jonathan K. Shamis has been appointed to fill the position left open by the retirement of Mark D. Thompson. Shamis is a Lake County Judge in the 5th Judicial District and a Magistrate in the 9th Judicial District, the release states. He is also adjunct faculty at Colorado Mountain College and a Legal Research Attorney for the 5th Judicial District.

Shamis previously served as the Executive Director of Alpine Legal Services from 2005 to 2014, a partner at Kleinschmidt and Shamis, LLC, from 1997 through 2006, and Senior Attorney and Assistant Public Defender in the Office of the Cook County Public Defender in Illinois from 1989 through 1997, according to the judicial branch. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Chicago in 1983 and his law degree from DePaul University in 1989.



Polis selected Shamis from two candidates chosen by the 5th Judicial Nominating Commission in January. The other nominee in the running had been Courtney Holm.

Thompson announced his retirement, which took effect Jan. 14, in December. He faced public scrutiny after pleading guilty to threatening his stepson with a rifle in 2021 and for his demeanor after returning to the bench from a disciplinary suspension stemming from that guilty plea.


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