When she was a child, Pax L. Moultrie spent hours deconstructing the “fairness of playground rules,” her father recalled.

“Your journey has been a testament to your unique blend of precocity and pragmatism. You devoured legal texts with the same fervor most youngsters reserve for comic books,” said Ben Moultrie, speaking last week to an audience of judges, lawyers and his daughter.

On April 19, Pax Moultrie held her ceremonial swearing-in as a judge on the state’s 22-member Court of Appeals. Gov. Jared Polis appointed Moultrie first to the Denver Juvenile Court in 2020, then to the state’s second-highest court late last year. She succeeded Judge David Furman in January.

“I think it came as a surprise to a lot of people that I was even interested in a position with the Court of Appeals. Certainly, the impetus for me applying when I did was because of the loss of knowledge in the realm of juvenile law that was going to occur with Judge David Furman’s retirement,” she said. “No disrespect to my current colleagues who have juvenile experience, but I think they would agree that Judge Furman has been a giant in the field of juvenile law for many, many years.”

Moultrie graduated from Washington University in St. Louis and the University of Denver’s law school in 2006. She clerked for the late Supreme Court Justice Gregory J. Hobbs and for then-Jefferson County District Court Judge Brian D. Boatright — who is now the state’s chief justice. Moultrie then worked in the Jeffco and Arapahoe County attorneys’ offices, working on juvenile and child welfare cases.

Her experience with juvenile and domestic matters continued when she became a Jeffco magistrate in 2018 and then a judge on the Denver Juvenile Court, which is the only freestanding juvenile court in the state.

In her application to join the Court of Appeals, Moultrie indicated she enjoys “intellectual problem-solving” to address the competing needs of those who come before her.

“My desire to become a judge on the Court of Appeals is to support this reconciliation on a systemic level rather than on a case-by-case basis. Juvenile law, which has been my focus, has little guidance despite its significant societal impact,” she wrote.

Moultrie is one of only a few Court of Appeals members who have experience as a trial judge. She noted in her application that she had been affirmed 97% of the time on appeal, handled an “emergency concern of shooter threat” at the juvenile court and organized an event to discuss improvements in court services for American Indian families. 

“Before her appointment, I had a chance to meet her in the summer at a bar event and I asked her what we could do better for families and kids,” said Kara Veitch, Polis’ chief legal counsel. “She lit up with this energy and excitement about all the things we could do, and it was so enticing and inviting to hear her talk.”

Chief Judge Gilbert M. Román described Moultrie as appearing quiet and reserved, but he learned she spent time as a “Karaoke Idol” judge and DJ. He also recalled his meeting with Moultrie prior to her application to the court.

“She was dissecting my responses. And she was extremely studious with laser-like focus,” Román said. “I was so impressed with Pax that when we were done, I walked over to my chief of staff and I said, ‘Wow. Judge Pax Moultrie is really impressive. She’s gonna be on this court someday.'”

During her remarks, Moultrie said she hopes parties in conflict can rebuild trust, empathize with each other and achieve reconciliation.

“At the Court of Appeals, we make really hard decisions. But I recognize — and I appreciate my colleagues’ recognition — that any decision we make is never going to be harder than living with, or harder than existing in, the hardships we’re making decisions about,” she said.

Moultrie also gave a shout-out to the judges and attorneys who work in the trial courts. She conveyed a remark someone told her as a Denver Juvenile Court judge: “Don’t think that what you do goes unnoticed.”

“I might still reverse you,” she added, “but just remember that you’re valued and seen.”

Moultrie joined the court at the same time as Judge Grant T. Sullivan, whose own investiture is scheduled for June. They are the 10th and 11th members Polis has appointed to the Court of Appeals in just five years.