The Judicial Nomination Commission for the Denver County Court has forwarded three nominees to Mayor Michael Hancock to fill a vacancy created by Judge Gary Jackson’s retirement.

Two of the nominees currently work for Denver: Renee Goble is an assistant city attorney and senior litigator for the municipal operations section of the City Attorney’s Office, and Judy Estrada is a deputy public defender in the Office of the Municipal Public Defender.

The third nominee, David Blackett, is currently a magistrate in the 17th Judicial District. He also was a nominee in January 2020 for a Denver County Court vacancy. 

Hancock will choose one of the nominees by Feb. 4. 

His selection will replace Jackson, who retired Dec. 30 after serving on the Denver County Court for seven years. Jackson co-founded the Sam Cary Bar Association, Colorado’s professional organization for Black attorneys. Jackson actively worked to increase racial diversity on Colorado’s bench, and received honors and awards for his career from organizations such as the American Board of Trial Advocates and the Colorado Judicial Institute. 

The Denver County Court’s Judicial Nomination Commission is established by the City Charter. It comprises three attorneys and four non-attorneys. The mayor’s office interviews the nominees chosen by the commission, and Hancock has 15 days to make an appointment after he receives their names.

The Denver County Court, housed in the Lindsey-Flanigan Courthouse, handles traffic violations, municipal ordinance violations, petty offenses and misdemeanors. Its civil division handles matters such as evictions, name changes, protection orders and money suits for claims under $25,000.