Larimer Deputy DA to fill vacant judgeship

Deputy District Attorney Joshua Lehman has been appointed to the Larimer County court bench, Gov. John Hickenlooper announced Tuesday.

Lehman, a Fort Collins resident and deputy district attorney for the 8th Judicial District, was appointed to fill a judge seat left empty from former Judge Robert Rand, who resigned in March following allegations of inappropriate or unethical conduct.

Lehman’s practice consists almost entirely of criminal law, and he also focuses on adult felony-level crimes. Previously, he was an associate attorney at John P. DiFalco and Associates, where he practiced employment law. A 1998 University of Wyoming graduate, Lehman went on to obtain his Juris Doctor degree from Wyoming College of Law in 2001.

His appointment is effective immediately.

Rand was suspended with pay from his $123,000-a-year job on July 3, 2013, and in February told the Coloradoan he would give up fighting accusations that led to his censure by the Colorado Supreme Court. Rand refuted the allegations against him, many of which centered around what court officials said were inappropriate comments made by Rand to female attorneys and court workers.