Former Colorado Supreme Court Justice Melissa Hart, who also served as chair of the American Bar Association’s Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, has died, according to announcements from the Colorado Judicial Department and the Accreditation Council.
Hart served on the Colorado Supreme Court from 2017 to 2025. Before joining the court, she was a professor at the University of Colorado Law School, where she directed the Byron R. White Center for the Study of American Constitutional Law. She also maintained a pro bono practice and taught courses involving legal ethics and access to justice.
While serving on the Supreme Court, Hart continued teaching as an adjunct professor at CU Law and the University of Denver Sturm College of Law.
Hart joined the Accreditation Council in 2023 and became its chair in August 2026. The council oversees the accreditation of U.S. law schools and operates separately from the ABA in carrying out its accreditation responsibilities.
In a statement announcing her death, the Colorado Judicial Department said Hart’s colleagues would remember her for “her wisdom, her warmth, and her devotion to the work of the Court.”
The Accreditation Council and its managing director’s office also issued a statement recognizing Hart’s work in legal education and access to justice. The council described her as a leader who encouraged differing perspectives and collaboration and said she focused on students and the public in her work.
Hart grew up in Denver and graduated from East High School. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Harvard-Radcliffe College and her law degree from Harvard Law School. She clerked for Judge Guido Calabresi of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit and U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens.
The Colorado Judicial Department and Accreditation Council offered condolences to Hart’s family, friends and colleagues.