1st Woman Appointed As Arvada's Presiding Municipal Judge

ARVADA, CO — The Arvada City Council has appointed Kathryn Kurtz as the city's first female presiding municipal judge, officials announced Tuesday.

“The municipal court is truly the community court,” Kurtz said in a statement.

“It is where most citizens encounter the justice system, and it is my great honor and privilege to be able to serve the citizens of my home community of Arvada as Presiding Municipal Judge.”

Since 2016, Kurtz has worked as a relief judge in Lakewood, Northglenn, Federal Heights and Golden municipal courts. She has presided over cases such as traffic, zoning and criminal offenses.

From 2003 to 2016, Kurtz worked for the 1st Judicial District Attorney’s Office, primarily in the Special Victim’s Unit. She prosecuted crimes against children and human trafficking cases, and started the State of Colorado’s first Human Trafficking Unit, which worked with other community and governmental organizations to create programs to prevent and protect victims of trafficking and prosecute offenders who exploit vulnerable people.

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Kurtz received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Colorado Boulder in 1999. She received her Juris Doctor from the University of Denver, College of Law in 2002.

Judge Kurtz has lived in Arvada since 2009 with her husband and two children. She serves on the Five Parks Piranhas swim team board, the Storm Lacrosse board and Robbie’s Hope board of directors.

"On behalf of the City Council, I am pleased to welcome Judge Kurtz to the City team, and we look forward to working with her,” Mayor Marc Williams said in a statement.

“After an in-depth search, with several very qualified applicants, her commitment to both justice and our community made Judge Kurtz the unanimous choice to become the next Presiding Municipal Judge."