Chief JustiCe Mullarkey works to Make the systeM as responsive and responsible as possible,

and she is very ConCerned about the quality of JustiCe delivered by the state’s Courts.”

— JustiCe MiChael l. bender

Mary Mullarkeywhile slender in stature and soft-spoken, the supreme court chief justice is undeniably the most powerful person in the state’s legal system.

Supreme Court Chief Justice Mary Mullarkey is the CEO of the Colorado Judicial Department. She is responsible for the overall administration of 22 judicial districts. To give you an idea of the scope of this job, court filings in Colorado’s trial courts for fiscal year 2008 numbered 291,465 criminal and 441,199 civil cases.

On the appellate level, 1,657 cases were filed with the Supreme Court, which issued 147 opinions. More than 2,750 cases were filed with the Court of Appeals, which issued 1,981 published and unpublished opinions with an additional 773 cases dismissed. Mullarkey oversees 3,600 employees statewide — 304 of which are judges and justices appointed by the governor — and manages an annual budget of $350 million. From the time Mullarkey graduated from Harvard Law School to the present, she has devoted herself to a career in public service and faced some personal and professional challenges along the way.

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by kathy smithPhotograPhed at the colorado state suPreme court

Denvermagazine.com | january 2009

Even though Mullarkey’s

parents never attended

college, that wasn’t an

option for their daughter.

“It wasn’t a question of if

you go; it was where and

when,” she says. Mullarkey graduated with a

math degree from St. Norbert College in

her home state of Wisconsin with no idea of

what she wanted to do. “At that time, the

only careers for females were in nursing or

teaching, and I knew I didn’t want to do

that,” she says. Her mother, a legal secretary

and court reporter, reviewed cases with such

enthusiasm that Mullarkey credits her as the

biggest inspiration for her focus on law.

She decided to take the LSAT on a whim

and had the highest score in the history of her

college. Still unsure of her career path and

wary of tuition costs, Mullarkey applied to

some top law schools on the east coast. An

acceptance offer brought her money worries

to the forefront. “Harvard contacted me,

offered me a spot, and I told them I was very

honored, but I didn’t have the money to pay

tuition,” she says. The administrators at

Harvard made arrangements for loans and

scholarships, and in 1965, she became one of

22 females in a law class of 535.

“After law school, my real interest was in

public service. I was motivated to get involved;

this was during the JFK era and the civil rights

movement,” she says. Her first job with the

Bureau of Reclamation was at the entry level,

but one early assignment was enforcing civil

rights and nondiscrimination contracts. “I was

new to the bureau when this assignment came

up, and I was asked if I wanted to take it

because no one else did. I always wanted to do

something in public service that was

interesting and socially worthwhile, and this

was a great opportunity,” she says.

In 1973, Mullarkey and her husband, Tom

Korson, moved to Denver. She joined

the newly opened Equal Employment

Opportunity Commission office and was later

appointed to lead the appellate section of the

state Attorney General’s office. “I love doing

appellate work on different cases because I

enjoy the research and writing,” she says.

Mullarkey enjoyed a 19-year experience

representing clients in the appellate court

system, which proved to be a springboard to

candidacy for one of the justice positions in

1987. “Governor Romer called me about

10:30 pm to tell me he was appointing me to

the Supreme Court. Normally, I would have

been fast asleep but Tom and I had been up

watching L.A. Law. I was elated,” she says.

It wasn’t a simple transition from appellate

court lawyer to making decisions on the

Supreme Court. “Like anyone who is

appointed to a judgeship, I first had to learn

the job of judging. It is not easy to make the

transition from being an advocate for one side

to being the neutral decision-maker who can

fairly evaluate and weigh the merits of the

arguments on both sides,” says Mullarkey.

Midway through her term, Mullarkey was

diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Even

though she battles the disease daily, it doesn’t

interrupt her career and life. “I typically get

up at 4:45 am to exercise, play the piano and

eat breakfast before going to work. That gives

me enough time to scan the newspaper, listen

to the news on NPR and think about what’s

coming up during the day,” she says.

According to justice Michael L. Bender, “I

think Chief Justice Mullarkey shows enormous

concern for the judicial system in many arenas.

She works to make the system as responsive

and responsible as possible, and she is very

concerned about the quality of justice

delivered by the state’s courts.”

Being one of the first females on an all-male

panel presented challenges as well. “It was

difficult to be the only woman on that court

— a status that lasted about seven years. I

always say that my working life got a lot better

when Becky Kourlis was appointed.”

Currently there are three women and four

men on the Colorado Supreme Court and

unlike any other court, justices hear every

case and make decisions as a group.

Mullarkey says, “There are no guides to that

kind of decision-making. I had to learn the

process by participating in it.”

Fellow justices recognized Mullarkey’s

diligence, fairness and attentiveness. In 1998,

they selected her as Chief Justice of the

Supreme Court of Colorado. Justice Alex J.

Martinez says, “I greatly admire the chief for

leading this court and the judicial branch by

remaining positive, constructive and realistic,

even in the most professionally and

personally trying circumstances.”

Challenges have never hindered

Mullarkey’s life, and she tackles every

challenge and opportunity alike: with a

positive attitude. “The chief justice is diligent

in recognizing the needs of the least protected.

She is recognized as a national leader for

bringing attention to family issues, child

welfare and for implementing programs that

make a positive difference,” says state court

administrator Gerald Marroney.

As part of her ongoing commitment to

the community, Mullarkey and the other six

justices, along with other members of the

legal community, work to educate high

school students on the rule of law and how a

democratic judicial system works. The

Justices and legal teams travel to high

schools across the state twice a year. Actual

cases — not mock trials — are selected and

presented by the courts.

Prior to their arrival, teachers sit down

with attorneys to prepare a curriculum that

follows the legal process. “Arguments are

typically held in the morning, and then the

Supreme Court Justices join the students to

answer questions. It’s a very rewarding

experience,” Mullarkey says. “I love the

public part of my job. It is very satisfying to

meet community leaders and work with the

high school teachers and students.”

Personally, Mullarkey is most proud of

her relationships with her family and great

friends. “I have no lofty goals,” she says,

“and I see myself as someone who is open to

opportunities.”

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