Justice, Colorado Supreme Court (since January 2014)

William W. Hood, III has been a justice of the Colorado Supreme Court since January 2014 and is on the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot for retention¹². He spent seven years as a Denver District Court judge and ten years as a prosecutor in the 18th Judicial District before that². The Court has chosen him as its next chief justice³.

• Justice, Colorado Supreme Court, since January 2014²
• Judge, Denver District Court, seven years; litigation partner at a Denver law firm; prosecutor for ten years in the 18th Judicial District²
• Graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law and Syracuse University; adjunct faculty at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law²
• Selected by his colleagues in August 2026 to be the next chief justice³
• Appointed to the Colorado Supreme Court by then-Gov. John Hickenlooper and took office in January 2014³². He is now on the ballot for a yes or no retention vote¹.
• Bar poll: Colorado Office of Judicial Performance Evaluation 2026 finding (an official state commission evaluation, not an endorsement). Recommendation: "Meets Performance Standards." As published: "The State Commission on Judicial Performance finds that Justice William W. Hood III, by vote of 9-0 with one commissioner absent, and one commission vacancy, MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS".
• Public discipline: Searched the Colorado Commission on Judicial Discipline's public Determination Database on 2026-10-06 (20 public determinations, 1984 to 2025) and its list of public court filings: no determination or filing names this judge. Discipline short of a public proceeding is confidential and is not listed by name.⁴