Meet the District Attorney

John grew up in the Denver area and has devoted his entire career to law, public service, and community advocacy. After receiving his law degree from Stanford Law School, he clerked for Judge J. Skelly Wright of the U.S. Court of Appeals D.C. Circuit before moving to Los Angeles to work for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California. Initially, he prosecuted a variety of cases but eventually focused on white collar crime and fraud, ultimately becoming chief of the Major Frauds unit.  Returning to Denver in 1995, John became a partner at Holland & Hart, and later at Hill & Robbins, and co-founded Invest in Kids, a nonprofit focused on early childhood health and education for vulnerable families.

In 2010, President Barack Obama appointed John as Colorado’s U.S. Attorney. John served for six years in that role, and tackled numerous major issues, including gun violence, testifying before Congress in support of Colorado’s "red flag" law. He also pushed for reforms in federal sentencing laws and clemency for nonviolent drug offenders.  In 2015, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder appointed John national chairman of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee of U.S. Attorneys. 

John’s commitment to diversity and inclusion has been central to his work. A fluent Spanish speaker, he co-founded the Colorado Bar Association’s Spanish-Speaking Lawyers Committee and served on the board of Escuela de Guadalupe in Denver, a dual-language school. He has also built strong relationships with Colorado’s Black, Latino, Muslim, and tribal communities, working to address the many critical issues that affect them.

Before being elected District Attorney, John was a partner at the law firm WilmerHale, leading impactful many pro bono efforts that involved immigration rights, defending civil rights laws and challenging reproductive health restrictions.

John has received many professional honors.  Among other awards, in 2009, he received the Colorado Lawyers Committee’s lifetime achievement award; in 2018, he and his WilmerHale colleagues received the Pro Bono firm of the Year award from the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Action Network, and in 2023, Colorado Law Week named John Attorney of the Year.