Gordon P. Gallagher is a Federal Judge who judges numerous important cases. This year Grand Junction High School students got to judge Gallagher. 

Steve Brown, an English Language Arts teacher at GJHS, and Justin Whiteford, a social studies teacher at GJHS, hosted Gallagher in room 331 for Whiteford’s eighth hour International Forum class on Feb. 13.

Gallagher was nominated for the United States District Court for District of Colorado which was a seat previously held by Judge William Martinez. In order for Gallagher to become a federal judge he had to be nominated by President Joe Biden and get a majority vote in the senate. 

Gallagher, who was originally from Kentucky, moved to Denver where he went to law school before moving to the western slope where he was originally a prosecutor. 

“I started coming out to the west as a teenager. Loved it. Fell in love with the west,” said Gallagher. 

Gallagher said that he loved Denver, but he loved being in a smaller community where he could take part in recreational activities. Gallagher was able to convince the Judges of Colorado to let him stay in Grand Junction making him the first Federal Judge of Colorado not located out of Denver. 

International Forum students, a class in which students learn, speak and debate on numerous geo-political and national political issues, could not partake in political discussion with Gallagher due to Federal Judges strictly being forced to be non-partisan. 

Gallagher said, “One of the things that we lose that a lot of people have, including you, is some of our freedom of speech.”

Cases are assigned randomly in a district to curb a Judge’s political biases and make sure the judicial process is as fair as possible. It also ensures litigants that the Judge has not already made up his or her mind about the issue being discussed.

Gallagher also took part in the naturalization process in Grand Junction and spoke at a Naturalization Ceremony at GJHS where 73 individuals gained their citizenship in the United States on Oct. 24, 2024. 

Gallagher said, “For me, the most meaningful part of being a part of the naturalization ceremony is getting to see the fruition of the hard work of these new citizens and what it means to them and their families that they have finally become a new citizen.”

Gallagher said the most common thing a new citizen will say is how arduous the process is to become a U.S. citizen and how meaningful it is to finally earn citizenship.