Timothy J. Schutz

Appointment Date: January 1, 2022

Timothy J. Schutz received his Juris Doctorate, with distinction, from the University of North Dakota in 1987.  While in law school, he served as Editor in Chief of the North Dakota Law Review, and was selected to membership in the Order of the Coif.  Upon his graduation, Judge Schutz joined the law firm of Holland & Hart.  In 1991, he joined Richard W. Hanes and soon thereafter the two formed the law firm of Hanes & Schutz.  Over the next two decades, the firm gained a reputation for excellence in the areas of intellectual property, civil litigation, land use disputes and the representation of special districts.

Judge Schutz was appointed to the El Paso County District Court bench by Governor Ritter, effective November 1, 2010.  During his eleven years in the trial court, Judge Schutz managed active criminal, civil, juvenile, and domestic dockets.   He has presided over criminal trials ranging from allegations of simple assault to first degree murder.  His juvenile, civil, and domestic dockets were similarly varied and vigorous. 

Judge Schutz co-chaired the Fourth Judicial District Minority Overrepresentations Committee from 2012 until 2020.  The Committee is devoted to interacting with community stakeholders to address the existence, causes, and remediation of disproportionate numbers of minorities in the social welfare, school disciplinary, and criminal justice systems.  To that end, Judge Schutz has been a frequent writer and communicator on issues surrounding race and the justice system.  These opportunities have been central to Judge Schutz’s service as a judicial officer.

Judge Schutz has also been extensively involved in access to justice issues at a local and statewide level.  Working with members of the Bench and Bar, as well as local stakeholders, Judge Schutz has endeavored to make our court’s more accessible to all citizens, regardless of their economic circumstances or station in life.

In November of 2021, Judge Schutz was appointed to the Colorado Court of Appeals by Governor Jared Polis, with an effective date of January 1, 2022.  Judge Schutz considers it a great privilege and honor to serve the residents of the State of Colorado from the Bench.  It is his goal to bring equal measures of humanity, diligence, and scholarship to his judicial calling.

Judge Schutz and his wife Kristi have been married for more than four decades.  They are blessed with four children and eight grandchildren.  In his spare time, Judge Schutz enjoys gardening, birding, hunting, whittling, Red Rocks concerts, reading, and jogging.