Monica Márquez’s name is synonymous with firsts. In 2010 Governor Bill Ritter appointed her to the Colorado Supreme Court, making her the first Latina and the first openly gay justice to serve on Colorado’s highest court. As of 2021, she is the longest-serving of 11 openly LGBTQ-plus state Supreme Court justices in the United States. And on July 26 this year, she was sworn in as the chief justice for the state’s high court, again making her the first-ever Latina to serve in that role in Colorado. Chandra Thomas Whitfield sat down with Justice Márquez at the Ralph L. Carr Colorado Judicial Center in Denver, to talk about her journey, the responsibility she feels as a role model, and her priorities for the court.
