[Note: This is an excerpt from "5 Questions: Jeff Rupp of Colorado Judicial Institute," published by Bucket List Community Cafe on July 1, 2025. Click here for the full article.]
Overview: We spoke with Jeff Rupp of the Colorado Judicial Institute to find out what works and what needs to be improved in our justice system.
Jeff Rupp isn’t a judge or a lawyer, but he’s one of Colorado’s most passionate advocates for the integrity of the judicial system. As executive director of the Colorado Judicial Institute, Rupp leads the only nonprofit in the state focused solely on supporting Colorado’s courts.
His background in nonprofit management and deep love for American history made the role a natural fit when he took the reins in 2022. Founded more than four decades ago to uphold Colorado’s merit-based system for appointing judges, CJI now tackles a broad portfolio of public education, judicial advocacy and efforts to expand access to justice.
From pushing for more judges in overburdened court districts to helping young people understand their rights, the organization plays a quiet but vital role in strengthening the state’s legal foundation. For Rupp, that work is about more than legal procedure—it’s about ensuring public trust in the rule of law.
That trust is under pressure in today’s political climate, with courts increasingly pulled into national controversies. But as Rupp points out, the vast majority of legal work happens in state courtrooms, far from the headlines and carried out by judges committed to fairness and due process. Educating Coloradans about how that system works and why it matters is central to CJI’s mission.
In this week’s 5 Questions, we spoke with Rupp about the growing challenges facing the judiciary, how CJI is stepping up in response and what it will take to ensure that every Coloradan has equal access to justice...
[Click here for the full article.]
