Colorado Supreme Court
Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel
Promoting Professionalism. Protecting the Public.
Welcome Justice Richard Gabriel
The former judge on the Colorado Court
of Appeals takes over for Justice Gregory Hobbs.
By JAMES CARLSON
Fall
2015
The
Supreme Court just got its resident musician.
Late
last month, Gov. John Hickenlooper swore in Justice Richard Gabriel as the
newest member of the Colorado Supreme Court. Justice Gabriel, who previously
served on the Colorado Court of Appeals, is also well-known for playing trumpet
in various jazz bands.
“He
has that wisdom,” Hickenlooper told Colorado Public Radio at the ceremony, “but
he’s also fun to be around.”
Gabriel
replaces Justice Gregory Hobbs who retired in early September.
Hickenlooper
praised Justice Gabriel’s “strong background in commercial litigation and
business law,” an area the governor said has traditionally been
underrepresented on the high court.
Prior
to becoming a judge in 2008, Gabriel was a partner at Holme
Roberts & Owen where he specialized in general complex and commercial litigation.
He was also an associated at Shea & Gould in New York City and served as a
law clerk to the Honorable J. Frederick Motz of the
U.S. District Court in Maryland.
Gabriel
graduated from Yale University and received his law degree from the University
of Pennsylvania.
James Carlson is the Information
Resources Coordinator for the Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel.