(RENO, Nev.) – The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) has named Colorado District Judge Victor Reyes (Ret.) as Judge-in-Residence.
As the NCJFCJ’s Judge-in-Residence, Reyes will work extensively on curriculum development across judicial engagement and education projects including comprehensive technical assistance to judges, judicial wellness and mindfulness, and family violence and domestic relations issues on a national level.
“Victor has spent his career as an educator and leader to help catalyze change for people seeking justice,” said Joey Orduña Hastings, NCJFCJ CEO. “His most recent commitment to judicial wellness has enabled NCJFCJ members to pursue connectedness and self-care as critical core values of judicial leadership. We are looking forward to applying his many years of knowledge on the bench combined with his approach to the conscious practice of wellness to our organization.”
Judge Reyes served as a District Judge from 1999-2014 in the 10th Judicial District located in Pueblo, Colo. He has presided over criminal, civil, county court appeals, probate, domestic, protection order, juvenile, along with dependency, and neglect matters. Before becoming a judge, he served as a deputy state public defender for the State of Colorado. Judge Reyes also served as the judicial representative on the Colorado Domestic Violence Offender Management Board. He has been an adjunct professor for Pueblo Community College and Colorado State University Pueblo. He has also completed yoga teacher training at the Tulisidalam School of Yoga Prada in Thiruvalla, Kerala, India.
Judge Reyes has conducted more than 100 lectures and trainings on the issue of intimate partner violence. He has developed a community volunteer program for Pueblo City Schools and introduced a mindfulness-based ethics and values curriculum at an at-risk elementary school. He engages in social and emotional learning practices with a focus on enhancing fifth grade students’ self-image through reflection on their personal skills and talents. He participates in nationwide training and roundtables on issues related to domestic violence and has served as a faculty member for domestic violence and judicial wellness through the NCJFCJ and other national and local organizations.
“I’ve covered practically every area of the law and I am eager to share the knowledge and skills I have learned as a judge and as a teacher,” said Reyes. “It is truly an honor to serve as the NCJFCJ’S Judge-in-Residence. If I can positively shift even one life of a young person or a professional serving the courts, I will have succeeded in my life’s mission of helping to improve the lives of families, children, and victims of domestic violence in our communities.”
Judge Reyes holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy/History from Emory University and received his Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center.
About the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ):
Founded in 1937, the Reno, Nev.-based National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, is the nation’s oldest judicial membership organization and focused on improving the effectiveness of our nation’s juvenile and family courts. A leader in continuing education opportunities, research, and policy development in the field of juvenile and family justice, the NCJFCJ serves an estimated 30,000 juvenile and family court professionals and is unique in providing practice-based resources to jurisdictions and communities nationwide.