Maritza Dominguez Braswell, a deputy attorney general for Colorado, will join the state’s federal trial court at the end of January as the newest magistrate judge.

Dominguez Braswell will succeed retiring U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen M. Tafoya, who is based in Colorado Springs. Currently, she heads the civil litigation and employment law section of the Colorado Attorney General’s Office. The section represents state agencies and employees who are sued for personal injuries, property damage, employment discrimination or constitutional violations.

The U.S. District Court for Colorado consists of district court judges whom the president nominates and the U.S. Senate confirms to lifetime appointments. There are also several magistrate judges who assist with the court’s workload. Magistrate judges are subject to eight-year terms and go through a merit-based screening process before being hired by the district court judges.

While the duties of magistrate judges may vary across the country, they can perform many of the same tasks as their Senate-confirmed counterparts, up to and including presiding over civil trials. They may not, however, oversee felony criminal trials and sentencing.

In some federal judicial districts, being a magistrate judge is a stepping stone to a district court judgeship. While that is not the case historically in Colorado, earlier this week President Joe Biden nominated Nina Y. Wang, a magistrate judge since 2015, to fill an upcoming vacancy on the state’s seven-member U.S. District Court.

Dominguez Braswell received her degree from Rutgers Law School and was previously an attorney in private practice focusing on complex commercial litigation. She has also served as a board member for the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network.

Last year, Attorney General Phil Weiser appointed her to a panel charged with evaluating firms to conduct an independent investigation into the state’s judicial branch.

“Her astute judgement, remarkable leadership, and contribution to our diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives has improved the Department of Law and the legal profession in Colorado,” Weiser told Colorado Politics. “With a strong intellect, powerful empathy and a firm commitment to justice and the rule of law, Maritza will be an excellent federal magistrate judge.”

Following the announcement of Dominguez Braswell’s appointment, U.S. Magistrate Judge Kristen L. Mix, who also is the president of the Federal Magistrate Judges Association, said she and Colorado’s other magistrate judges “are looking forward to welcoming her. We wish her and Judge Tafoya the best.”