Sylvester appointed to Eighteenth Judicial District chief judge position

District Court Judge William Blair Sylvester has been appointed as the new chief judge for the Eighteenth Judicial District by Colorado Supreme Court Chief Justice Mary Mullarkey. He replaces retiring Judge John Leopold, who was appointed to the bench in August 1987 and has served as chief judge since August 2002. The Eighteenth Judicial District includes Arapahoe, Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln counties.

"As administrative head of the Judicial Branch, I depend on the state's chief judges to administer their judicial districts and to advise me on the development of statewide policies for the courts," says Mullarkey. "Judge Sylvester is a very capable, dedicated judge with a wide breadth of experience that will enable him to provide leadership and vision for the district. I am pleased he is willing to take on this extra responsibility."

Judge Sylvester was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army in 1972. He then received his undergraduate degree from the University of Maryland in1973 and juris doctor from the University of Georgia in 1976.

After receiving his degrees, Judge Sylvester was first in general private law practice; then joined the Eighteenth Judicial District, District Attorney's Office in January 1991. As a deputy district attorney he prosecuted cases ranging from traffic to first degree murder. During this time he sat on the child protection team and was active in other community improvement activities.

Judge Sylvester was appointed to the district court bench on Aug. 1, 2001. He initially worked a civil and probate docket, and then moved into the juvenile area where he served as the presiding judge for two years. Since that time he has been assigned to a diversified criminal and civil docket.

Colorado is divided into 22 judicial districts, each with a chief judge. As chief judge in the Eighteenth Judicial District, Judge Sylvester will serve as the administrative head of the district. He will be responsible for appointing the district administrator, chief probation officer and clerks of the court to assist in the personnel, financial and case management of the district along with seeing that the business of the courts is conducted efficiently and effectively. Other responsibilities include judicial assignments within the district.