District Court Judge, 23rd Judicial District (Twenty-Third Judicial District (Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln counties), District Court)

Theresa Slade is the sitting District Court Judge, 23rd Judicial District, standing for a retention vote on the November 3, 2026 ballot¹. District Court Judge since August 2012². The commission found the judge meets performance standards²⁴.

• District Court Judge since August 2012²
• Before the bench: Deputy District Attorney, Alternate Defense Counsel, Respondent Parent Counsel and Guardian ad Litem in the 18th Judicial District, municipal and magistrate judge, and owner of a criminal and juvenile defense practice²
• Bachelor's degree, Colorado State University; law degree, University of Denver Sturm College of Law²
• Colorado judges are first appointed by the governor to a provisional term and then stand for retention³. Theresa Slade was appointed to the District Court in August 2012². This is a retention election: voters decide yes or no on keeping the sitting judge, and no opponent is on the ballot¹.
• Bar poll: Colorado Office of Judicial Performance Evaluation, 2026 evaluation: the page prints "Recommendation: Meets Performance Standards" and states: "The Twenty-Third Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously agrees by a vote of 70, with one commissioner absent and two commission vacancies, that Judge Theresa Slade MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS." (quoted as printed on the page)²⁴. This is an official state commission evaluation of the judge's performance, not an endorsement.
• Public discipline: Searched on 2026-10-08: the Colorado Commission on Judicial Discipline's public Determination Database (17 public determinations, 1984 to 2025, all four result pages viewed), its list of public court filings (Matters of Grattan, MacLaren and Murphy) and the public discipline section of its 2025 Annual Report; none names this judge. Not checked: discipline short of a public proceeding, which is confidential and not listed by name, and Colorado Supreme Court attorney regulation records.⁵