Gary M. Jackson
2nd Judicial District
Honorable Gary M. Jackson, Denver County Court, Senior Judge, Retired, in the past two years has been inducted into the National Bar Association Fred David Gray Hall of Fame, the Denver Public Library Black Colorado Hall of Fame and the recipient of the Dr. Rachel Noel, Hope for the Future, Metropolitan State College Award. There are currently 246 members of the National Bar Association's Hall of Fame. Two other Colorado attorneys, the late Irving Andrews and the late William Harold Flowers, Jr. “Sonny” of Boulder, have ever been inducted into this distinguished body of 65,000 members. Judge Jackson earned his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Early in his legal career, he worked as chief trial deputy district attorney in Denver and an assistant United States Attorney for the District of Colorado where he received a Special Commendation from US Attorney Edward Levi. He then entered private practice and ultimately partnered with Michael DiManna to form the law firm of Di Manna & Jackson. For 37 years, he distinguished himself as a trial attorney in criminal defense, personal injury and the representation of lawyers and judges facing charges of ethical misconduct. The Denver Metropolitan Baseball Stadium District retained Jackson for the acquisition of the property upon which Coors Field (home of the Colorado Rockies) now sits. In January 2013, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock appointed Jackson to the Denver County Court bench. Judge Jackson retired in December 2020 and currently holds senior status. Judge Jackson is a co-founder of the Sam Cary Bar Association, where he has held multiple leadership positions, including chair of the Sam Cary Scholarship Endowment Fund, which has awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars to Black law students at DU and CU law since 1986. Judge Jackson has also served on state and federal judicial nominating commissions and been active in local, state and national bar associations. He is former co-chair of the Colorado Bar Association/Colorado Judicial Institute Coalition on Judicial Diversity which helped increase the number of Black state judges in Colorado from one in 2019 to 17 in 2024, including Adams and Boulder counties first Black state judges in history. Judge Jackson has given back to his community in myriad ways, including an original membership with the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble and serving as the Chair of the Delta Eta Boule Foundation which has given hundreds of thousands of dollars to Black Colorado undergraduate students since 1998. Among the numerous awards, Judge Jackson has received are: Colorado Super Lawyer, the National Bar Association's Wiley Branton Award, National Black Prosecutor's Association Norm Early Lifetime Award, CU's George Norlin Award and CU Law, the Merle Knous Award and Order of Coif, the George Washington High School Inaugural Hall of Fame Award, Colorado Judicial Institute and Anthony Greco County Court Judge of the Year, the Center for Legal Inclusiveness Hon. Wiley Daniel Lifetime Achievement Award and the Denver Bar Association and American Board of Trial Advocates Judicial Excellence Award. Jackson has two grandchildren attending CU Boulder and a son who graduated from CU Law School. His wife Regina is the owner of Action Jackson Realty at Compass and is a NY Times Best Selling Author “White Women” and documentary film maker “Deconstructing Karen”. Judge Jackson is currently the Vice President of Marketing for Action Jackson Realty. Governor Polis has appointed Judge Jackson to the America 250 Colorado 150 Commission as the representative of the Black communities of Colorado for the twin anniversaries of the 250 year celebration of the Declaration of Independence and the 150 year celebration of Colorado's statehood in 2026.
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