Daniel D. Domenico will become the new chief judge of Colorado’s federal trial court next week, a role that encompasses the administration of the court as well as a judicial caseload.

Under federal law, the chief judge of a U.S. District Court generally serves for a seven-year term. The person next in line is the most senior, full-time judge who has not yet turned 65.

Domenico, who is 54 this year, is a first-term appointee of President Donald Trump. He previously served as Colorado’s solicitor general under former Attorney General John Suthers, and was in private practice at the time of his judicial appointment in 2019. Suthers told Colorado Politics that Domenico did an “excellent job overseeing the work” of the solicitor general’s office.

Ben Van Horn, a former law clerk for Domenico, called him thoughtful and respectful to those who appear before him.

“He approaches each matter with intellectual rigor and a strong commitment to getting the law right, while ensuring all parties are heard,” said Van Horn. “I expect those qualities will continue to guide his leadership as chief judge.”

Although Domenico had, at one point, one of the largest backlogs of undecided motions in civil cases among federal judges in the country, he has since eliminated the extreme delays in decision-making altogether.

Domenico succeeds Chief Judge Philip A. Brimmer, a George W. Bush appointee who began his seven-year term leading the court in March 2019. Brimmer’s tenure was primarily defined by two major developments: Large-scale turnover among district judges and magistrate judges, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It was my impression that Chief Judge Brimmer handled COVID with great wisdom and effort,” retired Chief Magistrate Judge Michael E. Hegarty told Colorado Politics in an email. “We were one of the leading districts in the country as far as setting up safety protocols such as masking, distancing in the courtrooms, (and) doing remote criminal proceedings.”

During the 2022 swearing-in ceremony of Judge Nina Y. Wang, Brimmer also referenced working with Wang’s husband, an engineer, to experiment with the trajectory of air particles from the witness stand.

“I believe Chief Judge Brimmer was in the courthouse every day,” added Hegarty, even during the first days of the pandemic. “We immediately improved our ability to engage in remote proceedings, with everyone, including the judges, appearing remotely. That improved ability carried over past COVID.”

Brimmer is eligible for a form of semi-retirement known as “senior status,” which would entitle him to a reduced caseload and open a vacancy for Trump to fill. However, unlike several judges who took senior status during the Biden administration and provided upwards of 1 year’s notice, Brimmer has not indicated that he plans to step aside from active service.

At the same time that Domenico will become chief judge on March 4, the White House is weighing a Colorado-based vacancy on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit. Domenico expressed interest in a 10th Circuit nomination during Trump’s first term, but he received a district court appointment instead.

Domenico may be a candidate to succeed his former boss, Judge Timothy M. Tymkovich, who announced on Tuesday that he intends to take senior status after 23 years as a circuit judge.