news Colorado Judicial Branch Mary J. Mullarkey, Chief Justice Gerald Marroney, State Court Administrator ______Aug. 30, 2004

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Karen Salaz 303/837-3633 1-800-888-0001 Ext. 633

Presiding Judge Ashby named to National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges board of trustees

Second Judicial District, Juvenile Court Presiding Judge Karen Ashby was recently named to the Board of Trustees of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) during the group’s annual meeting in Portland, OR. “Cases involving family issues account for more than 50 percent of the cases coming before trial court judges across Colorado,” says Ashby. “These cases many times involve very volatile and emotional issues which are very difficult. Having the skills to effectively handle these situations is very important.” Judge Ashby, a graduate of the University of Denver College of Law, was appointed to the Denver Juvenile Court bench in September 1998. She became the court’s presiding judge in July 1999. Prior to her appointment to the bench, she practiced in the Denver Trial Office of the Colorado State Public Defender for five years and was in private practice in Denver specializing in criminal trials and appeals and in family law. Judge Ashby hears all types of juvenile cases. Judge Ashby is active in a number of professional and community organizations. She is co-chair of the Colorado Court Improvement Committee and a member of the Standing Committee for Family Issues, Legislative Task Force on the Mentally Ill in the Criminal Justice System, the Supreme Court Family Issues Committee, the SB94 Statewide Advisory Board, and the National Judges’ Advisory Committee on Balanced and Restorative Justice. “As juvenile court judge I often times see families come before me who not only need answers, they need solutions – it is important to me to try to be able to provide both,” says Ashby. “The national council provides tools and resources to enable juvenile judges across the nation to do just that.” Since its founding in 1937, the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, based on the University of Nevada, Reno campus, has been in the forefront of addressing issues pertaining to juvenile and family law and is a leader in continuing education opportunities, research, and policy development.

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