Associate Justice Monica Marquez of Colorado Supreme Court

7/13/2023

Associate Justice Monica Marquez 

c/o Colorado Supreme Court

Ralph Carr Judicial Center

2 East 14th Avenue

Denver, CO  80203

Dear Associate Justice Marquez,

My name is Matt Winick from Ann Arbor, Michigan and I have a strong interest in learning history, social justice, and criminal justice reform. In these subjects, I like to learn the need for civil rights to be stronger to reduce discrimination, expand on social justice to improve communities, have criminal justice reform to help protect people’s rights while reduce crime, and many others. Associate Justice Marquez, the main reason I’m writing you a letter is to explain how I find your work as Associate Justice of the Colorado Supreme Court to be very inspiring to me.

In December 2010, I was amazed on how you made history on becoming the first Latina and first openly gay person to serve on the Associate Justice of the Colorado Supreme Court. In your current role as Associate Justice of the Colorado Supreme Court, I truly appreciate on how you were a strong supporter of civil rights by advocating for people with disabilities’ rights, pushing for strict sentencing for people who commit hate crimes to help protect minorities including people who are different, and expressing the need to make civil rights legislation stronger to reduce discrimination. On people with disabilities’ rights issues, I like on how you express the need for more people who have expertise in people with disabilities’ rights including people with disabilities’ rights law to be in the judicial system or be elected in the courts, emphasize the need for social workers to work with law enforcement to help reduce situation with people who struggle with mental health, and more better reforms on people who have mental health or with a disability to get better access to social security disability benefits.  Supporting the need for drug treatment programs to help drug-users get the care they need to reduce drug abuse, advocating for the need for more resources to help victims of domestic violence or victims of crime get help on dealing with their trauma, and strongly express the importance for more funds for DNA testing including forensic science to help solve evidence efficiently while reduce sending an innocent person to jail is common sense for criminal justice reform. Also on criminal justice reform, I like on how you express the need for mental health court to help people with mental illness to get treatment and advocate for the importance of community services to help non-violent offenders including non violent juveniles to rehabilitate so they won’t re-offend. Another thing that I like about your work as Associate Justice of the Colorado Supreme Court  is how you worked to help protect civil liberties from being violated like the 4th amendment to help protect people from unreasonable searches ,speak against racial profiling in the criminal justice system, and the need for ethics reform to reduce judicial misconduct.    

Associate Justice Marquez, I have autism with a learning disability.  Having a disability is hard for me because I have trouble comprehending on learning different advance subjects, sometimes I struggle to communicate my thoughts in different settings including social settings, and get teased. Your commitment to be a strong supporter of civil rights including people with disabilities’ rights really inspires me to work hard on my disability.  Your role as Associate Justice of the Colorado Supreme Court helps give me motivation to continue to learn different subjects. My future goal is to someday work in these areas to help emphasize the need for civil rights to be stronger to reduce discrimination, expand on social justice to improve communities, have criminal justice reform to help protect people’s rights while reduce crime, and many others.

I strongly believe that you are making a great difference. I’m very proud on how you are working hard to support civil rights including people with disabilities’ rights, expanding while advocating for criminal justice reform, and many others. You truly inspire me to work hard on my disability, learn more about your work, and continue to learn different subjects. I was wondering if you could share with me on what its like being on the Colorado Supreme Court, how you got interested in a career in law along with being an advocate of criminal justice reform, and some advice to me with a disability. Thanks for taking the time to read my letter, working hard to make a great difference, and inspiring me. Please continue to advocate and push for common sense ideas. 

Sincerely,

Matt Winick