--- title: "Maria E. Berkenkotter | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/maria-e-berkenkotter-co-supreme-court-justice-statewide" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Maria E. Berkenkotter Supreme Court of Colorado · Justice ## Profile - Court: Supreme Court of Colorado - State: Colorado - Role: Justice - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-08-22 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - From August 2006 to November 2017, Justice Berkenkotter was a District Court Judge in the Twentieth Judicial District - Before joining the Attorney General’s Office in 1990, Justice Berkenkotter was in private practice at Holmes & Starr, P.C. in Denver, Colorado. - She clerked for Justice Howard M. Kirshbaum of the Colorado Supreme Court after graduating from the University of Denver Law School in 1987. - The Chief Judge of the Twentieth Judicial District for the last four years of that time - The co-author of Generative AI, the Unauthorized Practice of Law, and Self-Represented Litigants, 53 Colo - Justice Berkenkotter’s practice focused on national and local antitrust enforcement litigation - Justice Berkenkotter is a frequent speaker on the intersection of generative artificial intelligence and legal and judicial ethics, and on the promise and peril of the use of generative AI by self-represented litigants ### Education ### Additional information - Sworn into the Colorado Supreme Court on January 4, 2021. - Before her appointment to the trial court bench, she ran the Antitrust, Consumer Protection and Tobacco Litigation Units of the Colorado Attorney General’s Office. - Prior to her appointment, she handled complex mediations, arbitrations and judge pro tem appointments at Judicial Arbiter Group, Inc. ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### expanded media coverage Scope: statewide Colorado expanded media coverage requests must comply with Chapter 38, Rule 3 and are submitted to the court before the proceeding; authorization remains subject to court rules, orders, restrictions, and limitations. Evidence excerpt: you agree with the criteria set forth in Chapter 38, Rule 3, as well as all orders, rules, restrictions, or limitations issued or imposed by the court [Request for Expanded Media Coverage](https://www.coloradojudicial.gov/media/request-expanded-media-coverage?topic=76&wrapped=true) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### expanded media notice Scope: statewide Colorado expanded media coverage applications generally must be submitted at least twenty-four hours before the court proceeding, though judges may consider shorter-notice requests in some circumstances. Evidence excerpt: Expanded Media Coverage applications to be submitted at least 24 hours in advance of the court proceeding in question. [Request for Expanded Media Coverage](https://www.coloradojudicial.gov/media/request-expanded-media-coverage?topic=76&wrapped=true) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.coloradojudicial.gov/supreme-court/supreme-court-judges-and-staff) - [Official roster](https://www.coloradojudicial.gov/supreme-court/supreme-court-judges-and-staff) - [Colorado Judicial Branch official judicial roster](https://www.coloradojudicial.gov/supreme-court/supreme-court-judges-and-staff) - [Request for Expanded Media Coverage](https://www.coloradojudicial.gov/media/request-expanded-media-coverage?topic=76&wrapped=true) - [Maria E. Berkenkotter](https://www.coloradojudicial.gov/contact/maria-e-berkenkotter) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/maria-e-berkenkotter-co-supreme-court-justice-statewide", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/maria-e-berkenkotter-co-supreme-court-justice-statewide", "name": "Maria E. Berkenkotter | KnowJudges", "description": "Maria E. Berkenkotter, Supreme Court of Colorado. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-10-07", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/maria-e-berkenkotter-co-supreme-court-justice-statewide#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/maria-e-berkenkotter-co-supreme-court-justice-statewide#judge", "name": "Maria E. 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