Breaking Barriers: How Chief Judge Susan Blanco '03 Is Reshaping Justice

Practicing law was not always the plan for the Hon. Susan Blanco '03. However, her unconventional path led her to make history as the first woman to serve as chief judge for Colorado’s 8th Judicial District.

In 2000, Blanco earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Colorado State University, with the goal of pursuing medical school. But after her pre-med advisor suggested joining the speech and debate team to distinguish her medical school applications, she uncovered a new passion.

“I was never one of those people who knew from the time that they were young what they wanted to do for the rest of their life,” Blanco recalled. “After joining the speech and debate team, I felt going to law school would be something I would be good at. And the rest became history.”

That pivot led her to Colorado Law. “I was born and raised in Colorado, and I wanted to stay close to home,” Blanco said. “The administration at CU was very kind and offered scholarships. That was a big deal because I was paying for law school on my own.”

After earning her JD, Blanco worked as a prosecutor in the 8th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, where she handled cases in county, juvenile, and district courts. She later transitioned into criminal defense and family law, joining a private practice before launching her own firm in Fort Collins.

Her dedication to vulnerable populations led to her 2017 appointment to the bench by Gov. John Hickenlooper. In 2021, Blanco was appointed by then–Chief Justice Nathan Coats '77 and Justice Brian Boatright of the Colorado Supreme Court as chief judge of the 8th Judicial District—the first woman in the district’s history to hold the position. Blanco now presides over criminal, veterans, competency courts as well as review of magistrate orders. She manages over 200 employees across three courthouses and four probation offices. 

The daughter of Iranian immigrants, Blanco often reflects on how different her path might have been had her family not come to the United States. 

“In Iran, we don’t have female judges. In some Middle Eastern countries, even being a female attorney is rare,” she said. “I think we sometimes take for granted the opportunities we have in the U.S. because our society has progressed in ways others haven’t.”

Blanco has pioneered initiatives that have gained national recognition, including Colorado’s first competency court and the district’s Latinx Task Force. Both programs, launched in 2021, reflect her deep commitment to transforming the justice system from within. 

The competency court uses a community-based model to assess and support defendants with mental health issues, prioritizing local treatment over prolonged custody.

“It just felt like something needed to be done differently,” she said. “We were watching people with serious mental health issues sit idle in jail, often in solitary confinement. That’s not justice.”

For Blanco, this issue hit close to home. Her experience caring for a grandmother with dementia, combined with her advocacy for vulnerable populations, reinforced her belief that the justice system must better address cognitive decline.

The program quickly demonstrated positive results, decreasing the amount of time people waited in jail and connecting vulnerable individuals with long-term housing. Since then, the competency court has been honored with the 2022 City of Fort Collins Human Relations Award and the Visionary Award from the Board of Larimer County Commissioners, inspiring similar models across Colorado.

“We've been really proud of the success we've had and the work that we're doing,” Blanco said. “I don't think we have solved it all by any stretch of the imagination, but we feel like we're doing something to improve the circumstances by creating alternate exit strategies out of the criminal justice system for people who probably never belonged there to begin with.”

Blanco’s commitment to inclusion also led her to create the Latinx Task Force, addressing concerns raised during a statewide 'listen and learn' tour by the Colorado Access to Justice Commission. When community members expressed feeling unwelcome in the courthouse, Blanco knew the judicial system must do something to address their needs.

After convening community members and local nonprofits to examine the issues and find solutions, she introduced courthouse navigators, improved signage, and expanded Spanish-language resources, helping the community feel heard and represented.

“We were able to build bridges, and I think that has made the work so fruitful,” Blanco said.

Her passion for justice extends beyond the courtroom. In 2024, she returned to Colorado Law as an adjunct professor to teach Motions Advocacy, the same course that once left a lasting impression on her. During her time as a student, the course was taught by her most impactful law school professor: former Colorado Supreme Court Chief Justice Nancy Rice. 

“I still have the papers I wrote for Justice Rice,” Blanco said. “I saved them because I was just blown away that a sitting Colorado Supreme Court justice was reading and commenting on our arguments. Her feedback meant everything to me.”

Now, Blanco hopes to provide her students with the same encouragement she once received.

“Some of my students have stayed in touch, which means so much to me,” Blanco said. “Watching them blossom into attorneys has been one of the most rewarding parts of returning to CU.”

Even as she balances teaching and leading one of Colorado’s busiest judicial districts, Blanco recently completed another milestone: In May, she earned her LLM from Duke University School of Law.

While Blanco’s journey to the bench was not linear, it reinforced her belief that success in the legal field does not need to follow a single path.

“I didn’t know if my path in criminal law would look as ‘successful’ as big law. But the truth is, if you love what you’re doing, you’ll work hard, and success will follow. It’s not a one-size-fits-all journey, and it shouldn’t be.”