Gov. Ritter picks Marquez for Colorado’s high court

Gov. Bill Ritter announced the appointment Wednesday of Colorado Deputy Attorney General Monica Marie Marquez to be the 101st justice of the Colorado Supreme Court.

Marquez is Ritter’s first appointment to the state’s seven-member high court.

“I am both humbled and deeply honored to be appointed to the Colorado Supreme Court,” Marquez said in a statement. “I look forward to serving the state of Colorado in this new capacity, and I promise to bring an exceptional work ethic, a collaborative spirit, an open mind, and a reverence for the rule of law.”

Marquez, who is 41, graduated from Grand Junction High School and holds a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University and her law degree from Yale Law School.

She will be the first openly gay person to serve on the state’s Supreme Court.

Marquez will first serve a two years provisional term then go before the voters of the state to seek an additional 10 year term.