Nancy E. Rice (born June 2, 1950) is the former Chief Justice of the

Colorado Supreme Court The Colorado Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Colorado. Located in Denver, the Court consists of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices. Powers and duties Appellate jurisdiction Discretionary appeals The Court p ...

Life and education

Rice was born on June 2, 1950 in

Boulder, Colorado Boulder is a home rule city that is the county seat and most populous municipality of Boulder County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 108,250 at the 2020 United States census, making it the 12th most populous city in Color ...

, and grew up in Colorado and

Cheyenne, Wyoming Cheyenne ( or ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming, as well as the county seat of Laramie County, with 65,132 residents, per the 2020 US Census. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne metropolitan statistical ...

. She received her Bachelor of Arts cum laude from

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...

in 1972 and her J.D. from the

University of Utah College of Law The S.J. Quinney College of Law is the professional graduate law school of the University of Utah. Located in Salt Lake City, Utah, the school was established in 1913. It is a member of the Association of American Law Schools and is accredited b ...

in 1975. She has one daughter.

Career

After graduating from law school, Rice served as a law clerk for Judge Fred Winner of the

United States District Court for the District of Colorado The United States District Court for the District of Colorado (in case citations, D. Colo. or D. Col.) is a federal court in the Tenth Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are ap ...

from 1975 to 1976. She then worked as an appellate state public defender from 1976 to 1977 before joining the U.S. Attorney's Office for the

District of Colorado The United States District Court for the District of Colorado (in case citations, D. Colo. or D. Col.) is a federal court in the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, Tenth Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against ...

, where she served as the Deputy Chief of the Civil Division from 1985 to 1987. Rice became a judge on the Denver District Court in 1987, the same year she began teaching as an adjunct professor at the

University of Colorado School of Law The University of Colorado Law School is one of the professional graduate schools within the University of Colorado System. It is a public law school, with more than 500 students attending and working toward a Juris Doctor or Master of Studies in ...

Service on Colorado Supreme Court

Rice was originally appointed to the Colorado Supreme Court on August 5, 1998, by Governor

Roy Romer Roy Rudolf Romer (born October 31, 1928) is an American politician who served as the List of governors of Colorado, 39th Governor of Colorado from 1987 to 1999, and subsequently as the Superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, su ...

and was subsequently elevated to Chief Justice on January 8, 2014. She retired from active service on June 30, 2018.

References

, - Living people Justices of the Colorado Supreme Court 1950 births Politicians from Boulder, Colorado Public defenders S.J. Quinney College of Law alumni Tufts University alumni Women chief justices of state supreme courts in the United States Assistant United States Attorneys American women lawyers 20th-century American judges 21st-century American judges Chief Justices of the Colorado Supreme Court 20th-century American women judges 21st-century American women judges University of Colorado Law School faculty American women academics {{US-state-judge-stub

Life and education

Career

Service on Colorado Supreme Court

See also

References