Madoche Jean of Westminster will be the first Black judge in the 17th Judicial District, after Gov. Jared Polis appointed him on Friday to an open Adams County Court seat.

“It is one more barrier that has been overcome,” said Gary M. Jackson, a Denver County Court judge who has applauded the rate at which Polis has appointed judges of color. “I am sure that he will be a positive influence to his colleagues on the bench and a major asset to the citizens of Adams/Broomfield counties.”

Jean is currently a senior litigation associate at Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker, LLP and was previously a deputy district attorney in Boulder. He graduated in 2010 from the University of Denver’s Sturm College of Law. He is also first-generation Haitian American and is bilingual.

According to 2019 census estimates, roughly 41% of Adams County is Latino, and half of the population is non-Hispanic white. Black residents are 4% of the population. In September, Polis also named the first Black judge in nearly a decade to the neighboring 18th Judicial District of Arapahoe, Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln counties.

Jean was previously a finalist for another county judgeship this year. All judges receive a provisional term of at least two years, after which they must stand for retention in a general election. County judges face the voters every four years.

There is an additional vacancy in the 17th Judicial District of Adams and Broomfield counties following voters’ decision not to retain District Judge Tomee Crespin. Applications are due to the citizen-led nominating commission by Dec. 11.