On Feb. 25, Leadership Fellows, donors, trustees, staff and other friends of The Community Foundation spent an informative day touring the State Capitol and the new (since 2012) headquarters of Colorado’s court system. We invite you to browse our Facebook photo essay of the day!
Our group of 40 or so engaged participants began the day at the Neoclassical, golden-domed Colorado State Capitol, one of the prominent features in Denver’s skyline. There, participants enjoyed Q&As with Sen. Rollie Health, Rep. Mike Foote and Rep. Dickey Lee Hullinghorst, Speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives.
Another highlight of the day was meeting Justice Monica Márquez, the first Latina and first openly gay person to serve on the Colorado Supreme Court…and its youngest member.
The $258-million courthouse on the southern edge of Civic Center is home of the Colorado Supreme Court, the state Court of Appeals, the Supreme Court Library and the Office of the State Court. Tour participants learned that the courthouse is named for former Colorado Gov. Ralph L. Carr, a lawyer and Republican politician who served as governor from 1939 to 1943. Carr spoke out against the forced relocation of Japanese-Americans during World War II and destroyed his political career doing so.
The glass-domed courthouse’s sightlines are designed to draw attention to the Capitol across the street, a visual reminder of U.S. democracy’s three-branch balancing act.
