Who is Natalie Chase? Colorado judge who used N-word multiple times and proclaimed 'all lives matter' resigns
Colorado district judge Natalie Turnmire Chase has agreed to step down from the bench after being censured by the Colorado Supreme Court. Multiple court employees have accused Chase of making offensive comments and even asking them to do personal tasks for her. The Supreme Court issued a six-page order earlier asking Chase to step down, saying she failed to "maintain the high standards of judicial conduct required of a judge".
The complaints triggered an investigation by the Colorado Commission on Judicial Discipline, which found her guilty of multiple violations. She has previously been under scrutiny for receiving a below-average rating in a Colorado Commission on Judicial Performance Review in 2016. Her resignation will be effective 45 days from when it was tendered, meaning May 31 will be her last date. Here's everything we know about Chase and why she has been asked to step down.
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Who is Natalie Chase?
In 2003, Chase graduated from the University of Denver Law School. She then opened her own law firm, Shafer & Chase, where she specialized in criminal law, family law, and estate planning. In 2013, she moved away from private practice with a part-time role at the Glendale Municipal Court. In July 2014, she took on her current assignment as a District Court Judge in the 18th Judicial District. She was the youngest District Court Judge at the time after being appointed by Governor Hickenlooper.
Chase also has a wide variety of accolades to her name. The Colorado Bar Association profile says she co-founded the Veteran's Treatment Court for the 18th Judicial District in 2011. The previous year, Chase started the Access to Justice Committee. She is also listed as the current Vice President of the Arapahoe County Bar Association and is a Board of Governors Representative for the Colorado Bar Association. It is unclear if she will also be stepping down from these roles as well.
Chase also played a pivotal role in the 2013 statewide effort that led to greater state funding for pro se litigants as part of an access to justice program. Thanks to her, the non-profit Colorado Legal Services received an additional $1 million in funding. A GovSalaries report estimated her annual salary to be around $165,753 in 2018. Not much is known about Chase's personal life. She appears to have deleted her LinkedIn profile and we couldn't find any links to a Facebook or Twitter profile in her name.
Accusations against Judge Chase
The judge has been accused of making multiple inappropriate comments. In 2020, Chase drove her former law clerk and a family court facilitator to an event in Pueblo. During the trip, she asked the facilitator, who is Black why White people couldn’t use the N-word, but Black people could. Court documents show that she said, "whether it was different if the N-word is said with an ‘er’ or an ‘a’ at the end of the word." The facilitator said the conversation made her feel angry and hurt, saying the judge use the word was “like a stab through my heart each time.”
In another incident, she said that she would boycott the Super Bowl “because she objected to the NFL players who were kneeling during the National Anthem in protest of police brutality against Black people.” Those comments were made while she was in her robe on the bench in court, back in February 2020. Two employees in the courtroom at the time, who were Black heard those comments. Then in May, just days after the death of George Floyd, she said, "The conduct of the police officers in the George Floyd matter should be investigated," and stated that "she believes all lives matter." On several occasions, she also asked court employees to perform personal tasks, including rewriting personal emails "so they sounded better."
The 2016 review noted that "based on the survey results, Judge Chase received ratings below the average of all district court judges standing for retention including case management, application and knowledge of the law, communications and demeanor." It added, "though Judge Chase's scores were concerning, the Commission is cognizant of the steep learning curve for a new district court judge."
Chase maintained that she did "not intend any racial animus," but did acknowledge that her statements violated a rule "which requires a judge to act in a manner that promotes public confidence in the judiciary" The court asked Chase to step down, which she has accepted. Chase is yet to make a comment to the press. Multiple outlets attempted to get in touch with her but received no response.