Colorado Governor Jared Polis has appointed Kristan K. Wheeler to the Jefferson County Court in the 1st Judicial District. The vacancy is created by the retirement of the Honorable Thomas E. Vance and is effective July 1, 2021.

Wheeler is currently a district and county court magistrate in the 17th Judicial District, a position she has held since 2019. Her docket consists of both criminal and civil matters.

Previously, she served as a part-time County Court Magistrate in the City and County of Denver and Presiding Judge in the Louisville Municipal Court, as well as a relief judge in a number of municipal courts, including Longmont, Boulder, Westminster, Lakewood, and Arvada. She was a founding partner of Malkinson Wheeler Law, LLP (2010-2016); solo practitioner (2004-2010); associate attorney with Banashek & Talkington, LLC (2002-2004); and Deputy State Public Defender in Denver and Boulder (1998-2002).

Wheeler earned her B.A. from Trinity University in 1992 and her J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law in 1996.