Who is running for 23rd Judicial District (Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln) District Court, Retention: Judge Victoria E. Klingensmith in 2026?

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

Victoria E. Klingensmith is the sitting District Court Judge, 23rd Judicial District, standing for a retention vote on the November 3, 2026 ballot¹. District Court Judge since September 2023, presiding over civil and criminal matters in Douglas County². The commission found the judge meets performance standards²⁴.

• District Court Judge since September 2023, presiding over civil and criminal matters in Douglas County²
• About 19 years as a deputy district attorney in the 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office; adjunct professor at the University of Denver School of Law²
• Undergraduate degree, University of Denver; attended the University of Colorado School of Law²
• Colorado judges are first appointed by the governor to a provisional term and then stand for retention³. Victoria E. Klingensmith was appointed to the District Court in September 2023². 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 6-1, with one commissioner absent and two commission vacancies, that Judge Victoria E. Klingensmith 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. The page also reports survey results the commission considered: of four attorneys responding, 25% answered yes and 75% answered no on whether she meets judicial performance standards; of eleven non-attorneys responding, 82% answered yes and 18% answered no².
• 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