Melissa Hart, a tenured professor and the director of the Bryon R. White Center for Constitutional Law at the University of Colorado, was appointed by Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper to serve on the Colorado Supreme Court. Professor Hart will continue to teach at the law school while sitting on the Court.
Professor Hart was named to the seat held by Allison Eid who was recently appointed to the Tenth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to fill the seat vacated by Neil Gorsuch who was elevated to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Professor Hart has taught at the University of Colorado since 2000. Her areas of expertise are employment discrimination, due process, access to justice, and constitutional law.
A graduate of Harvard University, Professor Hart holds a juris doctorate from Harvard Law School. She clerked for Justice John Paul Stevens at the U.S. Supreme Court and served as a trial attorney for the U.S Deparmtent of Justice.
Justice Hart is scheduled for a vote to retain her seat on the Supreme Court in 2020. If she is retained, she would not face another retention vote for 10 years.