Who is running for Douglas County Court, Retention: Judge Lawrence Bowling in 2026?

Douglas County Court Judge (Douglas County Court)

Lawrence Bowling is the sitting Douglas County Court Judge, standing for a retention vote on the November 3, 2026 ballot¹. Douglas County Court Judge since January 2011². The commission found the judge meets performance standards²⁴.

• Douglas County Court Judge since January 2011²
• Before the bench: six years in private practice, two years as a deputy district attorney, four years as an assistant county attorney and four years as a district and county court magistrate in Arapahoe and Douglas counties²
• Law degree, University of Denver (1993); worked as a field engineer in oil and gas before law school²
• Colorado judges are first appointed by the governor to a provisional term and then stand for retention³. Lawrence Bowling was appointed to the Douglas County Court in January 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 Twenty-Third Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance finds by a vote of 7-0, with one commissioner absent and two commission vacancies, that Judge Lawrence Bowling 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