Charlotte Sweeney is President Joe Biden’s intended nominee for an upcoming vacancy on Colorado’s federal trial court, and would be the first openly LGBTQ federal judge in the state if confirmed.

The White House also indicated in its Thursday announcement that Sweeney would be the first openly gay woman to serve as a U.S. District Court judge in any state west of the Mississippi River.

U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, who recommended Sweeney to the White House in May along with two other candidates, noted that Sweeney currently represents public and private sector employees in discrimination, civil rights and wrongful termination lawsuits.

“Charlotte has dedicated her career to fighting for equality. Whether representing victims of discrimination or working toward pay equity, Charlotte has been relentless in her fight for justice under the law,” the senators said in a statement.

Sweeney is a partner at the Denver firm of Sweeney & Bechtold, LLC. A graduate of the University of Denver’s law school, she is a member of the Colorado LGBT Bar Association and is on the board of directors for the Matthew Shepard Foundation. She also helped to draft the Equal Pay for Equal Work Act, which passed the Colorado legislature in 2019.

Jennifer Kinkade, an attorney with Burns, Figa & Will in Greenwood Village, started her legal career working with Sweeney, and considers her to be a mentor.

“Charlotte was an exceptional advocate for our clients, but she was always direct and clear with them – there is no perfect case,” she said. “And Charlotte was able to express the strengths and weaknesses of a client’s case to them (and to me) in a way that was easy to understand and showed that she cared about them while being straightforward.”

Kinkade also believes Sweeney, as a judge, would encourage new lawyers to meaningfully participate in cases, similar to how Sweeney pushed her to take on more responsibilities and benefit from the experience.

Sweeney would succeed Judge R. Brooke Jackson on the seven-member district court. Jackson, an Obama administration nominee who joined the court in 2011, is taking a form of retirement known as senior status effective Sept. 30. As a senior judge, he will still handle cases for the court.

This will be Biden’s second vacancy on the district court and third in Colorado overall. In July, U.S. District Court Judge Regina M. Rodriguez took the bench following her U.S. Senate confirmation, and Veronica S. Rossman, Biden’s pick for the Denver-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, is awaiting a final vote in the Senate.

“Her background representing individuals in cases of employment discrimination brings a much-needed perspective to a bench that (with some exceptions) is largely occupied by judges with corporate or prosecutorial backgrounds,” said Mari Newman, a civil rights attorney with Killmer, Lane & Newman, of Sweeney.

Praise for Sweeney’s nomination also came from Demand Justice, a progressive group that has pushed Biden to nominate judicial candidates who have experience as public defenders, civil rights and legal aid attorneys. A 2017 report found that only 1.4% of active district court judges were public defenders immediately prior to their appointment. Judicial observers have argued that it promotes confidence in the courts to have a bench populated with attorneys of various backgrounds.

“Not only will Ms. Sweeney’s diversity of experiences enhance her ability to serve as a judge, leading to better and more equitable decisions, but it also serves to increase public trust and legitimacy in the judicial branch,” said Julian G.G. Wolfson with HKM employment attorneys in Denver.

As recently as June, Sweeney filed an employment discrimination lawsuit in the federal district court. She is representing Kurt Rose, a Black former employee for the city of Boulder, who alleges he was subjected to race-based harassment – including the use of the N-word – and denied opportunities for promotion.