By Alicia McNally, LAW WEEK COLORADO

DENVER – A 14-year-old Sharon Hansen, a fan of 1960s courtroom drama series The Defenders, took a career aptitude test and found she wanted to practice law.

“You can’t be a lawyer because you’re a woman,” a social studies teacher told her.

“That motivated me to practice law,” said Hansen, who is now the 22nd Judicial District chief judge, recently announced her retirement after 24 total years on the bench of both county and district court.

“I think that right now our focus is going to be on my husband’s parents. My husband is retiring in September to help out with them. Then I’m going to look at some law-related projects. I’ve been looking at legal issues in Africa – Kenya and South Africa. I’ve always been interested in Africa and I feel like I have a good amount of training in domestic violence that could be helpful to other developing programs.”

Hansen was appointed to the district level by former Gov. Roy Romer in 1995. Her docket includes civil, domestic relations, juvenile and criminal cases. Her last day is Oct. 1.

The 22nd Judicial District Nominating Commission will meet Aug. 24 at the Montezuma District Court to interview and select nominees for appointment by Gov. Bill Ritter for the office in Cortez.

Editor’s Note: Check out the interview with Judge Hansen in the print edition of Law Week Colorado.

Douglas Walker

By Allie Winter, LAW WEEK COLORADO
Montezuma County District Judge Douglas Walker has declined to comment on defendant convicted murderer Ignacio Rael’s being jolted twice with a Taser gun to get him to Walker’s courtroom.
The tasing came after Walker ordered law enforcement to use “any force necessary” to get convicted murder Ignacio Rael to show up for his sentencing hearing, The Cortez Journal has reported. Walker, who received a lengthy prison term, did not attend his trial.
Real’s lawyer, public defender Tom Williamson, said his client was “tasered several times” when he told deputies that he didn’t want to attend the hearing.
Cortez Journal reporter Steve Grazier told Law Week Colorado that law enforcement “rolled Rael in” on a chair to which he was restrained. “His legs were restrained and I could see something around his chest,” Grazier said.
The Judicial Branch, through spokesman Rob McCallum, also had no comment on the tasing, but the branch said it placed “a high value on its relationship with law enforcement and places its trust in those officials to decide what course of action is necessary in any given situation.”