Next Monday is the application deadline for anyone interested in becoming the next Associate Justice on the Colorado Supreme Court. The seven-member Court is shy one justice at the moment, which took place when President Trump nominated Associate Justice Allison Eid to the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

She was  nominated to fill the opening left when Justice Neil Gorsuch went from the 10th Circuit to became the ninth member of the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this year.

The Colorado high court’s vacancy became official on Nov. 2, when the U.S. Senate, on a 56 to 41 vote, confirmed Eid’s appointment.

There’s one group out there that has a definite interest in the kind of jurist that they like to see: the Colorado Water Congress.

Executive Director Doug Kemper Monday sent out an email to his members asking them to consider applying. “Could this be your once in a lifetime opportunity?” Kemper wrote.

But Kemper and the Water Congress have more than just a passing civic interest in who shows up on the Court next.

When Associate Justice Gregory Hobbs retired two years ago, the Court lost its most experienced jurist on Colorado water law, one of the most complex legal fields in the state. “In our view, a jurist with a depth of water experience is important to Colorado’s future,” Kemper wrote.

Kemper closed out his email with a pledge that Water Congress-affiliated members would be supported through the application process.

The Colorado Supreme Court Nominating Commission is scheduled to meet Nov. 27 and 28 to interview candidates and select nominees that will be forwarded to Gov. John Hickenlooper for consideration. Interested applicants should file an application and an identical copy in electronic form as a single text-searchable PDF file with the commission’s nomination chair, Chief Justice Nancy Rice, no later than 4 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 20. Application forms can be obtained at the Supreme Court’s offices on 14th Avenue or online.