Colorado general election: November 3, 2026

Who is running for 1st Judicial District (Jefferson and Gilpin) District Court, Retention: Judge Christopher C. Zenisek in 2026?

Here are the candidates for 1st Judicial District (Jefferson and Gilpin) District Court, Retention: Judge Christopher C. Zenisek on the November 3, 2026 ballot. This race is on the ballot for voters in 1st Judicial District.

This is a retention vote: voters decide yes or no on keeping this judge for another term. Judges may not promise how they would rule, so we show experience and record instead of issue positions.

Christopher C. Zenisek

· Incumbent

District Court Judge, 1st Judicial District (First Judicial District (Jefferson and Gilpin counties), District Court)

Christopher C. Zenisek is the sitting District Court Judge, 1st Judicial District, standing for a retention vote on the November 3, 2026 ballot¹. District Court Judge since December 2011; appointed by the Chief Justice to preside over the Marshall Fire cases². The commission found the judge meets performance standards²⁴.

District Court Judge since December 2011; appointed by the Chief Justice to preside over the Marshall Fire cases²
Before the bench: Assistant District Attorney in the 20th Judicial District, private practice at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, and law clerk to a U.S. District Court chief judge²
Named in 2026 as one of three finalists nominated for a Colorado Supreme Court appointment; undergraduate degree, University of Colorado; J.D., University of Denver²
Colorado judges are first appointed by the governor to a provisional term and then stand for retention³. Christopher C. Zenisek was appointed to the First Judicial District Court in December 2011². 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 First Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously agrees by a vote of 10-0 that Judge Christopher C. Zenisek MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS."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

Last reviewed 2026-10-08. Spotted something wrong? Every claim links to its source so you can check it yourself.