DENVER — The Colorado Supreme Court on Monday suspended a former chief judge who earlier this year lost his leadership role in the Fifth Judicial District after threatening his stepson with an AR-15-style rifle.
The justices suspended Judge Mark Thompson for 30 days without pay and publicly censured him in an opinion released Monday. Thompson pointed an AR-15-style rifle at his 22-year-old stepson’s chest during an argument in July 2021.
Thompson was removed from his leadership position as chief judge for Summit, Clear Creek, Eagle and Lake counties after the incident and later pleaded guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct in connection with the threat, but he still serves as a judge for the district, working solely on non-criminal cases until his year-long probation ends.
