Governor Bill Owens announced today the appointment of Allison Eid of Golden to the Colorado Supreme Court. The appointment is effective immediately, filling a vacancy created by the resignation of the Honorable Rebecca Love Kourlis. Eid becomes the 95th person to serve as a Supreme Court Justice for Colorado. "Allison Eid is a premier legal scholar with superb real world experience," Owens said. "She will interpret the law as it is written, stand firm on legal principles and carry out her duties in a professional and collegial manner. She will be an excellent addition to the Court." Eid has served as Solicitor General for the State of Colorado since 2005. In that capacity, she directs and manages all of the state's trial and appellate litigation. From 1998 to 2005, Eid served as a law professor at the University of Colorado School of Law. She is currently on leave from this position. She taught courses in constitutional law, legislative process and interpretation, and torts. Eid has authored numerous legal publications on tort law and federalism. Her private legal practice focused on commercial and appellate litigation in the Denver office of the law firm Arnold & Porter. In 1991, Eid served as a law clerk to Judge Jerry Smith of the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, and in 1993, she had the honor of serving as a law clerk for United States Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. She earned high honors as an undergraduate at Stanford University and as a law student at the University of Chicago Law School. "I am honored to serve the people of Colorado as a Supreme Court Justice and I am aware of the significant responsibility with which I have been entrusted," Eid said. The initial term of office for a Supreme Court Justice is a provisional term of two years, after which the incumbent must stand for retention to serve an additional ten years. The annual salary for an associate justice is $119, 739. With the appointment of Allison Eid to the Colorado Supreme Court, Gov. Owens now has appointed 136 judges to serve courts in Colorado. This is his second appointment to the Colorado Supreme Court. He has made 10 appointments to the Court of Appeals and the remainder to district and county courts throughout the state. In his seven years as governor, Owens has appointed roughly half of the 261 judges in the state. "I adhere to the viewpoint that it is the job of the legislature to make the laws and the job of the judicial branch to interpret the laws," said Gov. Owens. "I believe Allison shares that philosophy and will strive to fairly and accurately interpret Colorado's laws." On Feb. 1, Gov. Owens received the names of three nominees from the Supreme Court Nominating Commission. He had 15 working days to interview the candidates and make his selection.