Gov. Jared Polis on Thursday announced his appointment of Denver Juvenile Court Judge Pax Moultrie to Colorado’s second-highest court, ending the four-year span in which no Black judges sat on the Court of Appeals.

The last Black member of the Court of Appeals, Karen M. Ashby, retired in 2019. Like Moultrie, she also served on the Denver Juvenile Court prior to her appointment. Judges on the court handle juvenile delinquency, child neglect and adoption cases, among other matters.

“This instills more public trust in our court system that the 22 judges on the Colorado Court of Appeals are going to reflect the citizens of Colorado,” said Gary M. Jackson, a retired Denver County Court judge and advocate for judicial diversity, who is a family friend of Moultrie’s.

Also on Thursday, Polis named Assistant Solicitor General Grant T. Sullivan to fill a second vacancy. His work entails appearing in court on behalf of the state. Most recently, he represented Secretary of State Jena Griswold in a high-profile case about Donald Trump’s eligibility to appear on the 2024 presidential primary ballot.

Sullivan will succeed Judge John Daniel Dailey and Moultrie will succeed Judge David Furman, both of whom are retiring as of Jan. 1.

Although their demographics are not reflective of the population as a whole, an analysis this year from Colorado Politics showed the benches of the state’s appellate courts are more diverse than the lawyers who argue before them.

When Moultrie and Sullivan are sworn in, Polis’ appointees will make up half of the Court of Appeals.