District and County Court Judges

District Court Judges and Staff:

Chief Judge, Honorable David A. Bottger

Judge Bottger is a graduate of Notre Dame University School of Law and was admitted to practice in Colorado in 1976. He served one year as a law clerk for Colorado Supreme Court Justice Lee and then entered the private practice of law in Denver. In 1983 he moved his private practice to Grand Junction and later that year was appointed to serve as Mesa County's first Magistrate. He served as Magistrate for 3½ years and was appointed District Court Judge in 1987.

Honorable Brian J. Flynn

Judge Flynn received his undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1989 and law degree from Widener University in Wilmington, Delaware, in 1992. While in law school he received the American Jurisprudence Award in Contracts. He was then admitted to practice law in Colorado, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.

He was appointed to the bench on January 11, 2005. Prior to his appointment he served as Chief Deputy District Attorney in the 21st Judicial District of Colorado. During the 11 years he served as a prosecutor he completed 128 trials, including 3 murder trials.  For more on Judge Flynn, please go to www.judgeflynn.com.

Honorable Richard T. Gurley

Judge Gurley attended Creighton University and received B.S. in Business Economics & Public Policy from Indiana University in 1983.  He received his law degree from the Drake University College of Law in 1986. 

He is admitted to practice in Colorado, Florida, Illinois and Montana.  Upon graduating from law school he worked as a prosecutor in Florida before entering private practice in 1991.  He practiced insurance defense from 1991-1994.  From 1994-97 he practiced criminal defense and civil litigation with Kidder, Gurley & Bennett in Tampa Bay.  From 1997-2007 he practiced criminal defense and civil litigation with the Florida-based law firm of Carlson, Meissner & Gurley, opening their Grand Junction, Colorado office less than a year after relocating to Colorado with his family in 1998.  He was appointed to the bench by Governor Bill Owens.

Honorable Thomas Michael Deister

Judge Deister graduated from the University of Denver College of Law and was admitted to the Colorado Bar in 1974. He practiced with the Judge Advocate General's Corp. of the U.S. Navy, engaged in private practice in Grand Junction for nine years, served with the Twenty-First Judicial District Attorney's office and was appointed to preside in the County Court of Mesa County in October, 1994.   He was appointed to the District Court bench, by Governor Owens, in January, 2006.

Honorable Valerie J. Robison

Judge Robison grew up in Colorado and received her undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado in 1986 and law degree from the University of Denver in 1991.   While in law school she received the American Jurisprudence Award in Sales and Payment.  Judge Robison is admitted to practice law in the State Courts of Colorado, the United States District Court for the District of Colorado, the United States Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court.

Judge Robison was appointed to the bench on June 14, 2007 by Governor Bill Ritter.  Prior to her appointment, she was serving Mesa County as the Chief Assistant County Attorney for Mesa County.  She had been with mesa County for 11 years.  Judge Robison previously practiced law with Dyer &Dilts in Cortez, Colorado, and James R. Alvillar, Esq. in Grand Junction, Colorado.

Mesa County Court Judges and Staff:

Honorable Craig P. Henderson:

Judge Henderson, a Colorado native, received his college degree from McPherson College in 1991 and his law degree from Washburn University School of Law in 1994.  He was admitted to practice law in Kansas in 1994 and in Colorado in 1996.

During his career as an attorney, Judge Henderson was in private practice in Wichita, Kansas from 1994-1995 and then was a deputy district attorney in the Fort Morgan/Sterling area from 1996 -1997.  After that, he was a deputy district attorney in Hot Sulphur Springs from 1998-1999 and then was an associate for a Denver law firm from 2000-2001.  Finally, he moved to Mesa County in 2002 and worked as a deputy district attorney until his appointment to the bench in January 2006.

Honorable Bruce R. Raaum

Judge Raaum received his undergraduate degree from North Dakota State University in 1989 and his Law Degree from the University of Nebraska College of Law in 1992.  Judge Raaum was in private practice in a small firm in Grand Junction from 1992 to 1998 and was a partner in the firm of Beckner, Achziger, McInnis, Raaum & Shaver for eight years, from 1998 through 2006.   Judge Raaum served as a Bond Magistrate for the 21st Judicial District from 2004 through 2006.  He was appointed to the County Court bench by Governor Owens in January 2007.

Honorable Gretchen B. Larson

Judge Larson, a Colorado native, received her undergraduate degree from Southern Methodist University in 1989 and her law degree from the University of Colorado School of Law in 1993.  Judge Larson worked as a prosecutor with the 21st Judicial District (Grand Junction) from 1993 to 1999 and with the 9th Judicial District (Glenwood Springs) from 1999 to 2005.  In March 2005, she returned to the District Attorney's Office in Grand Junction until her appointment to the bench by Governor Owens in July 2006.