Marcia S. Krieger | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Krieger in 2017 | |
| Senior Judge of theUnited States District Court for the District of Colorado | |
| Assumed office March 3, 2019 | |
| Chief Judge of theUnited States District Court for the District of Colorado | |
| In office January 1, 2013 – March 3, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Wiley Young Daniel |
| Succeeded by | Philip A. Brimmer |
| Judge of theUnited States District Court for the District of Colorado | |
| In office January 30, 2002 – March 3, 2019 | |
| Appointed by | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Daniel B. Sparr |
| Succeeded by | Regina M. Rodriguez |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1954-03-03)March 3, 1954 (age 71) Denver, Colorado, U.S |
| Education | Lewis and Clark College (BA) University of Colorado (JD) |
Marcia Smith Krieger (born March 3, 1954)[1] is aseniorUnited States district judge of theUnited States District Court for the District of Colorado.
Born inDenver, Colorado, Krieger graduated fromLewis and Clark College with herBachelor of Arts degree in 1975 and later fromUniversity of Colorado School of Law with aJuris Doctor in 1979.
Following law school graduation, Krieger worked in private practice inColorado from 1979 to 1994. In 1994 she became a United States Bankruptcy Judge for the District of Colorado where she worked until her nomination to the federal bench in 2002. Krieger was also an Adjunct lecturer for theUniversity of Colorado from 1999 to 2001.
Krieger was nominated to the United States District Court for the District of Colorado by President George W. Bush on September 10, 2001 to a seat vacated by JudgeDaniel B. Sparr, who assumedsenior status. Krieger was confirmed by theSenate on January 25, 2002 and received her commission on January 30, 2002. She served as the chief judge from January 1, 2013 to March 3, 2019. She assumedsenior status on March 3, 2019.[2]
In 2003, Krieger sentencedScott Lee Kimball totime served and three years'supervised release for passing bad checks in Alaska, as well as full restitution and a $5,000 fine, per a plea agreement between him and the government that took into account Kimball's service up to that point as an FBI informant. Unbeknownst to her, the FBI or anyone else involved in his case, Kimball had already committed three of the fourserial murders he would later plead guilty to; he is currently serving a 70-year sentence. At the sentencing, Krieger expressed some reservations about Kimball's reticence about his own financial situation in the face of his willingness to inform on others, but since she could not find any legal precedent for refusing the downward departure from theFederal Sentencing Guidelines the prosecution asked for in exchange for his demonstrated cooperation, she granted it.[3]
In 2010, Krieger denied a new trial for formerQwest CEOJoseph Nacchio's 2007 conviction ofinsider trading charges. Nacchio's legal team claimed that testimony former QwestChief Financial Officer Robin Szeliga gave in acivil lawsuit related to the case differed from testimony given in thecriminal trial. Krieger disallowed the request on the basis that the testimony in the civil trial was not substantially different from the criminal trial and that minor differences were unlikely to result in an acquittal.[4]
In 2018, Krieger declined a request to return an imprisoned transgender woman, Lindsay Saunders-Velez, to her cell after her lawyers argued that the "punishment pod" she had been assigned to after a minor infraction housed several male inmates who had tormented her previously. Krieger said that the attorneys had not proved a risk of “imminent and irreparable injury”. Hours after the judge issued her ruling, Saunders-Velez was allegedly raped. She was taken to a hospital with rectal and other injuries. A nurse there noted that the alleged rapist might be HIV positive.[5]
| Legal offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Judge of theUnited States District Court for the District of Colorado 2002–2019 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chief Judge of theUnited States District Court for the District of Colorado 2013–2019 | Succeeded by |