Nathan B. Coats

Coats received his Bachelor of Arts in economics from the University of Colorado in 1971, and his Juris Doctor from the University of Colorado Law School in 1977.[4]

Prior to his appointment to the bench, he was the Chief Appellate Deputy District Attorney for the Second Judicial District (Denver County) from 1986 to 2000. He also served in the Appellate Section of the Colorado Attorney General's Office in the 1970s and 1980s.

Coats has served on numerous Colorado Supreme Court and other committees.[3]

• Colorado Supreme Court Criminal Rules Committee, Member 1983–2000, Chair 1997–2000;
• Colorado Supreme Court Board of Law Examiners 1984–1994;
• Colorado Supreme Court Appellate Rules Committee 1985–2000;
• Colorado Supreme Court Civil Rules Committee, Joint Civil/Criminal Subcommittee on the Colorado Rules of Evidence, 1996–2000;
• Colorado Supreme Court Criminal Pattern Jury Instructions Committee, 1987–2000;
• Colorado Supreme Court Jury Reform Pilot Project Committee, 1998–2000;
• Colorado District Attorneys Council Legislative Committee, 1990–2000;
• Reporter for Governor's Columbine Commission, Fall 1999 – April 2000;
• Lecturer, Denver Police Academy, 1986–1997;
• Chief Reporter for the Erickson Commission on Officer-Involved Shootings, 1996–1997.

• 2002 - Provisional 2-Year Term: Retained by 74.3% of the vote.[5]
• 2012 - 1st 10-Year Term: Retained by 71.4% of the vote.[6]
  • Justice Coats will reach the mandatory retirement age of 72 before his term ends.[7]
  • This means he will not be on a retention ballot again.

Coats became Chief Justice on June 30, 2018.[8] He is the 46th member of the Court to be named Chief Justice since Colorado's statehood in 1876.[8]

Coats retired on December 31, 2020.[9] On November 20, 2020 Gov. Jared Polis appointed former Boulder District Court judge Maria Berkenkotter to replace Coats on the supreme court bench, effective January 1, 2021.[10]

• Nathan Coats
• Colorado Judicial Branch - Bio
• Justice Nathan B. Coats