Hail to the Chief
> The first woman to be chief justice of the Colorado Supreme Court, Mary Mullarkey, died last week at age 77. She also served for 12 years at the top of the judicial branch, longer than any other person. Those who worked with her told Colorado Politics that the Chief, as she was known, was a humble, quiet proponent of diversity and inclusion.
⢠When I clerked for her, we could debate the hard stuff. We would debate the death penalty and indigenous land rights and affirmative action. She would just, with calm agility, make the arguments for both sides, said Annie T. Kao, a former clerk.
Mary J. Mullarkey, the first female chief justice of the Colorado Supreme Court and its longest-serving, has died at age 77.
Many of her former law clerks on Wednesday spoke of how the Chief, as they called her, was beloved and humble, even as she led the state s judicial system and held the power to shape the law through her written opinions in scores of cases. She never lost sight of the humanity of the participants. These weren t just litigants. They weren t just defendants. These were human beings, said Eileen Kiernan-Johnson, who worked for Mullarkey for eight years. There wasn t such a thing as a small case for her.
Mary J. Mullarkey, the first female chief justice of the Colorado Supreme Court and its longest-serving, has died at age 77.
Many of her former law clerks on Wednesday spoke of how the Chief, as they called her, was beloved and humble, even as she led the state s judicial system and held the power to shape the law through her written opinions in scores of cases. She never lost sight of the humanity of the participants. These weren t just litigants. They weren t just defendants. These were human beings, said Eileen Kiernan-Johnson, who worked for Mullarkey for eight years. There wasn t such a thing as a small case for her.