CU Law Profiles
Alumnus Profile

Judd Choate

Class of 2006

Age

35

Hometown

Born in Willimantic, CT, but grew up in Hays, Kansas

Family Status

Married

Undergraduate Institutions and Degrees

Fort Hays State University, BA 1992
Purdue University, MA 1994
Purdue University, Ph.D. 1997

Hobbies, Sports, or Extracurricular Passions

Law School!

What were you doing before you came to the University of Colorado Law School?

Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Nebraska and Director of Minority and Justice Task Force for the Nebraska Supreme Court, 2000-2003

What is one interesting, fun, or offbeat thing you have done in your lifetime?

Scout, Kansas City Royals, 1993-1996 (Region including Indiana to Chicago and Illinois to Danville)

Where do you live now (e.g., Boulder, Denver, etc.)?

Fort Collins

Why did you choose to live there?

My wife is Director of the Colorado Institute of Public Policy at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. She lives five blocks from work and I live 55 miles from school.

Favorite Place To Eat Out in Boulder

Juanitas at 11th and Pearl Street. That's where we go when we are walking the mall or catching a show at the Boulder Theatre.

What made you decide to come to the University of Colorado School of Law specifically?

When Lyn took the job at CSU, there were only three schools within driving distance (CU, UW, and DU) and, obviously, CU was the best. So, I applied to CU.

What do you like most about attending the University of Colorado School of Law?

I have learned so much. I really had no idea the specialized knowledge necessary to be a lawyer. It?s been the most intensive, rewarding educational experience of my life.

What area of law do you want to practice, and why?

I want to be a prosecutor. I believe the prosecutor has an amazing power to right wrongs against society, while at the same time protect the rights of the accused.

What first year courses did you have?

Property I and II ? Campos
Civil I and II ? Hart
Criminal Law ? White
Torts ? Calhoun
Legal Writing ? G. Stafford
Constitutional Law ? Eid
Contracts ? Schmitz
Appellate Review ? G. Stafford

What second year courses have you taken?

Family Law ? Huntington
Criminal Procedure I ? Reitz
Legal Rights of Children ? Judge Richardson
Evidence ? Mueller
Local Government ? Collins
Professional Responsibility ? Justice Bender
Immigration Law ? Huntington
Law in Politics ? Eid
Criminal Procedure II ? Heiny
Child Abuse ? Huntington
Law Review

What was your favorite Law School class? Why?

Criminal Procedure I -- with Professor Kevin Reitz. His card-catalogue knowledge of the criminal law is astounding, yet he can make something like the 4th Amendment jurisprudence clear and easily understandable (which it?s not).

What student organizations have you been involved with at the Law School?

Editor-in-Chief, Law Review.
We publish four issues a year, including a Natural Resources issue and a symposium issue for the Rothgerber Conference. Law Review members select all the articles for publication and some even publish their own casenote articles. To do this, nearly 60 Law Review members commit literally hundreds of hours to working with authors, checking cites, formatting, and publishing the University of Colorado Law Review.
Law Review members have gone on to clerk for the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, federal district courts, and the Colorado Supreme Court as well as select among great job opportunities. It is both an amazing experience and a wonderful opportunity.