Mary Mullarkey

Mary J. Mullarkey
Colorado Supreme Court Chief Justice
1943 -
INDUCTED 2012

As Colorado’s first woman Supreme Court Chief Justice, Mary Mullarkey reached the pinnacle of her long career dedicated to public service.
She served as Chief Justice from 1998 until her 2010 retirement – the longest serving Justice in the state’s history.

After holding her own in all-male classes at Harvard Law School, she practiced law in a variety of settings. As Solicitor for the U.S. Department of the Interior in the 1960s, Mullarkey litigated environmental, water, and civil rights cases. Her expertise in race and gender discrimination brought her to Denver to oversee appeals for the newly established Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Gov. Roy Romer appointed Mullarkey to Colorado’s Supreme Court in 1987.

“The highest calling for any attorney is public service.“ — former Chief Justice Mary J. Mullarkey