Christine Arguello and Philip A. Brimmer are Colorado’s newest federal judges now that the U.S. Senate has confirmed their nominations.
The lifetime appointments are expected to ease the burden on the U.S. District Court in Denver where there are only four active judges and two in semi-retirement.
Brimmer is special prosecutions chief at the U.S. attorney’s office in Colorado. Arguello is managing senior associate counsel at the University of Colorado and a former chief deputy attorney general.
Brimmer was working Friday when he stopped to see his confirmation on a live feed from Washington D.C.
“It’s a thrilling day,” he said.
The longtime prosecutor and son of Clarence A. Brimmer, a federal judge in Wyoming, says he hopes he can rise to the challenge of his new job.
“My hope is that I will be an extremely fair and wise judge and one that will make the people of Colorado proud to have me in that position,” he said.
Arguello could not be reached for comment Friday.
Democratic Sen. Ken Salazar praised the work of the Senate Judiciary Committee for moving the nominations through. He also spoke highly of Arguello and Brimmer.
“She is a tenured law professor and knows the law well and she will make the state of Colorado and the United States of America proud with her service on the bench,” Salazar said. “I also want to congratulate Phil Brimmer. He comes from a family of distinguished jurists, he also has a distinguished career and leadership experience. He is a lawyer’s lawyer.”
Republican Sen. Wayne Allard lauded Arguello, who he said is the first Hispanic on Colorado’s federal bench, and Brimmer, who he said has “upheld the highest standards of integrity” during his career.
Allard and Salazar had sparred for months over the nominations and reached a compromise earlier this month by signing off on the nominations of Arguello, a Democrat, and Brimmer, a Republican.
A third vacancy on the bench remains unresolved.
Colorado U.S. Attorney Troy Eid said he is pleased that Allard and Salazar got the nominations through the process before Congress adjourned and said the confirmations of Arguello and Brimmer were good for the court.
“I’ve worked closely with both — justice is in good hands,” Eid said. “For Colorado’s U.S. attorney’s office, we believe this is the first time since 1922 that a prosecutor has gone directly from our office to the federal bench.”
Felisa Cardona: 303-954-1219 or fcardona@denverpost.com
