The American Law Institute mourns the passing of former Colorado Supreme Court Justice Melissa Hart, who died on Oct. 1 at the age of 57.
Hart was elected to ALI in 2012. She served as an Adviser to Principles of the Law, High-Volume Civil Adjudication and on the Members Consultative Group for Principles of the Law, Government Ethics.
A distinguished jurist, scholar, and educator, Hart served on the Colorado Supreme Court from 2017 until her passing. Before joining the court, she was a longtime faculty member at the University of Colorado Law School, where she held the Schaden Chair in Experiential Learning and served as director of the Byron R. White Center for the Study of American Constitutional Law. Throughout her career, Hart was a dedicated advocate for access to justice, with expertise in employment discrimination, constitutional law, and legal ethics. She also held national leadership roles in legal education, most recently serving as chair of the Council of the American Bar Association’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar.
“Melissa Hart embodied the very best of our profession. She was a brilliant jurist, an inspiring teacher and a tireless advocate for fairness, inclusion and access to justice,” said ABA President Barbara J. Howard in a statement.” Even after retiring from the bench, Justice Hart continued her work in furtherance of those principles and the profession that meant so much to her. Her wisdom, integrity and generosity touched countless lives. On behalf of the American Bar Association, I extend our deepest condolences to her family, friends, colleagues and students. Her legacy will inspire lawyers and judges for generations.”
Read the full obituary from the University of Colorado Boulder.