The office
The Colorado Court of Appeals is the state's intermediate appellate court. As of July 1, 2008, the Court consists of 22 judges who are retained by the public to serve eight-year terms. The Court sits in three-member divisions to decide cases.
From Colorado Judicial Branch.
The questionYes or no
Shall Judge Pax Moultrie of the Colorado Court of Appeals be retained in office?
The performance commission's review
- The commission found
- Meets Performance Standards
- Its vote
- 9-0
- Surveys answered
- 36
- Overall grade
- 3.8 of 4
What the commission said
The State Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously finds by a vote of 9-0, with one commission absence and one commission vacancy, that Judge Pax Moultrie MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS. Colorado’s statutory judicial performance standards are integrity, legal knowledge, communication skills, judicial temperament, and service to the legal profession and the public.
Judge Moultrie was appointed to the Colorado Court of Appeals in January 2024, and this is her first time standing for retention as a Court of Appeals Judge. The Commission finds that her opinions are thoughtful, accessible, and well written. At oral argument, she has an excellent judicial demeanor, engages with the attorneys, and is respectful of all parties. The Commission commends Judge Moultrie for her service to the judicial branch’s well-being efforts to support judicial officers and employees as well as her efforts to educate the community about the courts. In sum, the Commission finds Judge Moultrie is a valuable addition to the Court of Appeals.
To conduct its evaluation, the Commission interviewed Judge Moultrie, reviewed her self-evaluation, observed oral arguments, read a selection of her legal opinions, and considered survey responses from attorneys and judges. Every surveyed respondent agreed that Judge Moultrie meets Colorado’s Judicial Performance Standards. She received positive comments from lawyers with respect to her courteous demeanor during oral arguments and her ability to write in plain language so that both lawyers and laypersons can understand her opinions. Judge Moultrie received positive comments from fellow judges, especially with respect to the valuable perspective she brings as a former juvenile court judge.
Judge Moultrie earned her bachelor’s degree from Washington University in St. Louis and her law degree from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. She began her legal career as a law clerk in the 1st Judicial District, which was followed by a clerkship with the Colorado Supreme Court. She then represented county departments of human services in dependency and neglect matters and juvenile delinquency matters. Before joining the Court of Appeals, she served as a district court judge for Denver Juvenile Court, where she presided over a docket consisting of dependency and neglect cases, juvenile delinquency cases, and adoptions. She also previously served as a magistrate in the 1st Judicial District. She is a member of several specialty bar associations, including the Sam Cary Bar Association and the Colorado Women’s Bar Association. She is a Fellow of the Colorado Bar Foundation and is a founding member of the Irving P. Andrews Inn of Court. Judge Moultrie has served as an appointed board member of law-related and community non-profit organizations and is currently active in the Colorado Judicial Branch’s well-being efforts to support judicial officers and employees.
The survey
The share of each group surveyed who said the judge meets performance standards.
The survey's figures
| Meets performance standards | Attorneys | Judges |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 100% (9) | 100% (27) |
| No | 0% (0) | 0% (0) |
| No opinion | 0% (0) | 0% (0) |
A share of those in the group who answered, and in brackets how many.
Opinions
The judge's published opinions as CourtListener holds them, through Dec. 24, 2025.
Most cited
The division's summary
In this quiet title action, a division of the court of appeals considers whether a county treasurer’s office is authorized under section 39-11-115, C.R.S. 2024, to sell a tax lien on a partial interest in real property consisting of distinct, but undivided, interests. The division concludes that a treasurer’s office does not have this authority because section 39-11-115 requires that a tax lien be sold for “an entire piece of property.” Accordingly, a treasurer’s deed issued under section 39-11-128, C.R.S. 2024, resulting from such a sale and without notice to all interest holders is void.
The division's summary
The division concludes as a matter of first impression that either section 15-12-1001 or 15-12-1002, C.R.S. 2024, may apply to a request for formal closure of a testate estate when no person has challenged the validity of the decedent’s will. To determine which section applies, a court must consider (1) whether the request for formal estate closure also includes a request to adjudicate testacy and (2) whether the orders settling the estate may impact persons other than the estate’s personal representative or a devisee of the will. If a request for formal estate closure involves either condition, section 15-12-1001 applies.
Most recent
As printed in the document it was read from. The review from the Office of Judicial Performance Evaluation's evaluation and its survey report (read Oct. 12). Opinions from CourtListener, the Free Law Project's archive of court opinions.