Chief Justice Monica Marquez told a joint session of the Colorado General Assembly that Colorado’s courts need more judicial officers, improved physical and virtual security, and additional resources to address rising workloads and protect staff and litigants.

"Our courts serve the people of Colorado in every county in this state," Marquez said, noting the judicial branch has "around 4,000 employees, including approximately 400 judges and magistrates. We handle well over half a 1000000 cases every year and we supervise around 65,000 individuals on probation." She said the branch does not control its workload and that "the most precious resource we have is our time."

Marquez warned of growing safety and security threats to courthouses and courtroom proceedings both in person and online. She described recent incidents including a courthouse fire at the Ralph L. Carr Colorado Judicial Center's office tower, a death by suicide at the Lindsey-Flanigan Courthouse in Denver, a bomb threat at an Alamosa courthouse, and a string of death threats against judges. She also said coordinated "virtual courtroom disruptors" have hijacked remote hearings by "screaming racial epithets at litigants and judges, and streaming pornographic, racist, or violent video." Marquez called a purpose-built digital courtroom solution and improved physical security "a fundamental question of public safety."

Marquez thanked the Joint Budget Committee for authorizing emergency funding to issue a request for proposals for a digital courtroom solution and said the judicial branch will ask the legislature this year for additional help to improve courthouse safety and staffing. She singled out a pending bill she described as the branch's request for new judges, identifying it in her remarks as "Senate Bill 25024." She credited Senators Dylan Roberts and Lisa Frizzell for introducing the request.

The chief justice described organizational changes and workforce concerns shaping the request. She said more than half of current judges were appointed in 2020 or later, roughly 80% of chief judges have held leadership roles only a handful of years, and the branch is seeing both departures and a drop-off in applications for judicial vacancies. "Too many of our judges are routinely working nights and weekends," she said, and added that the court system is starting to lose officers because the workload is "unsustainable."

Marquez also highlighted programs intended to expand access to justice and reduce recidivism, including problem-solving courts for veterans and people with substance use or competency challenges, a licensed legal paraprofessionals program (LLPs) to assist litigants with simple domestic-relations matters, internship pipelines for court interpreters, and statewide warrant-clearance events. She noted the judicial branch recently overhauled Chief Justice Directive 95-01 and is developing evaluation processes for chief judges and, eventually, for the chief justice.

She closed by appealing to lawmakers to support resources that would allow Colorado courts to deliver "timely, fair, and wise resolution of their cases," saying such capacity is "crucial to sustaining the public's trust in our courts."