Two new judges appointed to Larimer County bench

Governor John Hickenlooper on Thursday appointed two Northern Colorado attorneys to fill vacancies on the Larimer County bench, the same day Colorado's Chief Justice selected the arbiter who will take the helm of the Eighth Judicial District. 

Susan Blanco and Stephen Jouard were selected among a final pool of six to replace Eighth Judicial District Chief Judge Stephen J. Schapanski and Judge Daniel J. Kaup, both of whom are retiring Jan. 10 after decades of work, the governor's office announced. 

Blanco, the sole practitioner at Blanco Law Office, specializes in criminal law, juvenile delinquency and cases involving dependency and neglect. She has served as Timnath's town prosecutor and this year began working as an adjunct instructor at Colorado State University. Blanco has also worked as a criminal defense attorney and as an assistant district attorney in Northern Colorado. She has degrees from CSU and the University of Colorado School of Law. 

Jouard is a partner at Jouard and Pickering P.C. in Fort Collins, where he has primarily worked cases involving personal injury, liability, insurance and compensation. He has worked for several other practices and has degrees from CSU and the University of Wyoming. 

Colorado Supreme Court Chief Justice Nancy Rice appointed Eighth Judicial District Judge Stephen E. Howard as Chief Judge of the district that spans Larimer and Jackson counties — a role held by the outgoing Schapanski since 2009. Chief judges serve as the administrative head of the district and are responsible for appointing the district administrator, chief probation officer and court clerks as well handling case-management tasks. 

Howard graduated from the University of Colorado Law School in 1978 and worked in private practice until he was appointed to the bench in 2011. He has a civil practice and specializes in business and real estate litigation. 

“I would like to thank Chief Judge Schapanski for his many contributions to the Eighth Judicial District having served as a district court judge and magistrate since 1993. I wish him well in retirement.” Rice said in a statement. “I am pleased to appoint Judge Howard to this leadership role for the 8th Judicial District. I am confident he will do well and I look forward to working with him.”

All of the appointments are effective Jan. 10. 

Reporter Jason Pohl covers courts for the Coloradoan. Follow him on Twitter: @pohl_jason.