Chief Judge Gilbert Martinez resigns

After twelve years of service as Chief Judge for the 4th Judicial District, Judge Gilbert Martinez is stepping down to become a District Court Judge. Martinez has practiced law for 29 years, has served the 4th Judicial District for 28 years, and has sat as judge for 17 years.

Martinez cites his desire to spend more time in the schools connecting with potential Latino and Latina legal professionals as one of the reasons for his decision to reduce the scope of his duties as judge.

Gilbert Martinez was born in Trinidad, Colorado and graduated from Northglenn High School in Northglenn, Colorado. He is married to Joanie Martinez, Vice President of Western National Bank. The couple has two children, Carlos and Laura, and several grandchildren.

Martinez graduated from UC-Denver in 1974 with his BA in Civil Engineering. After a brief time in the field, he decided to pursue a career in the legal system. Martinez graduated from Law School at UC-Boulder in 1977 with his JD. He immediately moved to the Pikes Peak region and began to practice law with the State of Colorado at Pikes Peak Legal Services.

In 1978, Martinez took a position as a lawyer at the Colorado State Public Defender's Office, where he worked in that capacity for 11 years. From 1985 to 1989, he acted as Head of the Public Defender's Office in the 4th Judicial District. At his appointment to the seat of District Court Judge for the 4th Judicial District in 1989, he began his career at the bench.

At the close of his initial 2 year appointment in 1991, the voters in his constituency retained him to a 6 year term. In the middle of his term, he was appointed as Chief Judge of the 4th Judicial District. He has remained Chief Judge since 1994, and will be resigning his position in 2007, but not his seat as District Judge. Judge Martinez will continue to provide support to the incoming Chief Judge and maintain his current docket.

As Chief Judge, Gilbert Martinez had various supervisory duties throughout the 4th Judicial District. Martinez supervised all the other judges, a total of 39 in the District. He was responsible for assigning each judge to the area where they would practice: Criminal Law, Civil Law, Domestic Law, or Juvenile Law. Martinez also supervised the probation department, a total of 94 personnel in the district. Positions in the Probation Department include Probation Officers, Probation Supervisors, and the Chief Probation Officer. In addition, Martinez supervised the Court Clerk's office, a total of 120 personnel in the district.

His toughest challenge as Chief Judge was not in the courtroom but on the Administrative level. The population of the Pikes Peak Region has increased dramatically since he began his career with the 4th Judicial District in 1978, and serving the expanding population has been a challenge. In dealing with Budget Cuts and Hiring Freezes, Martinez had to determine the means to serve a larger population with fewer personnel. The 4th Judicial District includes El Paso and Teller Counties and has not been redrawn since the beginning of his tenure.

One change Martinez has seen in the Pikes Peak Region is the emergence of the methamphetamine problem. Meth is highly addictive, sometimes forming a physical addiction the first time. Meth affects children, families, and neighborhoods throughout the Pikes Peak Region. Cocaine, the glamour drug of the 80's is outpaced by the accessibility of Meth.

Judge Gilbert Martinez will continue to practice as District Judge in Criminal and Domestic Law. He will no longer execute his supervisory duties for the district, which will bring a change of pace and less work. Throughout his term as judge, Gilbert Martinez has been active in the community, mentoring individual students and lecturing groups in the schools. He has always been an advocate for staying in school and has delivered this message to students of all educational levels in the schools of the Pikes Peak region. He wishes to expand his efforts in the community as his other commitments decrease.

The message which Judge Martinez would like to send to Latinos in the Pikes Peak region is, "There are many Latinos in the Criminal Justice System. Among these, there are too many who are Defendants and not enough who are Probation Officers, Lawyers and Judges. Education is key."

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