Judge Carlos Samour became Colorado’s newest Supreme Court justice earlier this month when he was sworn in to replace retiring Chief Justice Nancy Rice.

Although most widely known for presiding over the trial of James Holmes for the Aurora theater shooting, Samour has served for 11 years as a judge in the 18th Judicial District, where he was most recently Chief Judge.

“Judge Samour complements Colorado’s Supreme Court both professionally and personally. He has presided over some of Colorado’s highest profile cases in recent history and has distinguished himself, without exception, as being fair and impartial regardless of the magnitude of the case,” said Gov. John Hickenlooper, when announcing the appointment.

During his two terms, Governor Hickenlooper has appointed five of the seven justices on the Court.

With Rice’s retirement, Justice Nathan Coats was selected by his colleagues to serve as Chief Justice.Coats was appointed in 2000 by Gov. Bill Owens.

“Judge Samour has earned a reputation as an efficient, fair-minded jurist by those who have practiced in his courtroom,” said CCJL executive director Mark Hillman.“He is considered to be consistent, thoughtful, hard-working and exceptionally knowledgeable.”