Education
Dartmouth College.
Dartmouth College.
Bender earned a Bachelor of Arts from Dartmouth College in 1964 and a law degree from the University of Colorado Law School in 1967. Prior to becoming a judge, he worked in private practice, for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and as a public defender in Denver and Jefferson County and for the state. Bender also taught criminal law, criminal trial advocacy, and employment discrimination law at the University of Denver College of Law.
Bender was first appointed to the Colorado Supreme Court January 2, 1997 by Governor Roy Romer.
He was voted Chief Justice by his fellow justices in 2010, taking the position on December 1, 2010. He retired from the court on January 7, 2014.
Bender is a registered Democrat.