Press Release - Appointment in the 18th JD
OFFICE OF GOV. BILL RITTER, JR.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MONDAY, JUNE 16, 2008
CONTACT:
Evan Dreyer, 720.350.8370, evan.dreyer@state.co.us
GOV. RITTER APPOINTS FOUR JUDGES IN 18th JUDICIAL DISTRICT
Gov. Bill Ritter today appointed one new County Court judge and three new District Court judges in the 18th Judicial District, which serves Arapahoe, Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln counties.
The Arapahoe County Court appointee is Darren Louis Vahle of Centennial, and the District Court appointees are Richard Brewster Caschette of Littleton, and Christopher Charles Cross and Elizabeth Ann Weishaupl, both of Centennial.
Vahle has served as the senior deputy district attorney for the 18th Judicial District since 1997. He supervises all felony prosecutions in Douglas County, and over the past two years has tried assault, sexual assault, attempted murder and two first-degree murder cases. He earned his bachelor's degree from Westmont College in 1991 and his law from the University of Denver College of Law in 1996.
Caschette is currently a partner at Starrs Mihm & Caschette, where he has practiced since 2003. His 30-year law career has involved private practice with the firms Faegre & Benson, Kennedy & Christopher, and Shaw, Spangler & Roth, as well as public service as a first assistant U.S. attorney and as a deputy district attorney with the Denver D.A.'s Office. He earned his bachelor's degree from Fordham University in 1976 and his law degree from the Syracuse Law School in 1979.
Cross has served as an 18th Judicial District County Court judge since 1997. Prior to that, he served as a deputy district attorney in Denver from 1979 to 1983 and was in private practice with several law firms from 1984 to 1997. He earned his bachelor's degree from Denison University in 1974 and his law degree from the University of Denver in 1979.
Weishaupl has served as assistant U.S. attorney in the U.S. Attorney's Office for Colorado since 2001. Prior to that, she served as an assistant attorney general in the Colorado Attorney General's Office from 1994 to 2001. Weishaupl also was a litigation associate for Long & Jaudon from 1990 to 1994. She received her B.M. in 1984, her B.A. in 1985 and her J.D. in 1989, all from the University of Denver.
The appointments are for provisional terms of two years, and then until the second Tuesday in January following the next general election. Thereafter, if retained by the voters, the term for a District Court judge is six years and four years for a County Court judge. The current salary for a District Court judge is $118,972 and $113,856 for a County Court judge.