Hon. A. Nathaniel Baca is a judge for the 6th Judicial District Court of Colorado. He was appointed to the bench by Governor Jared Polis on January 5, 2023, filling the vacancy created by the resignation of the Hon. Todd P. Norvell.
The 6th Judicial District includes Archuleta, La Plata, and San Juan Counties.
Prior to his appointment, Baca briefly presided as a judge for the La Plata County Court since 2022. He also served as a judge for the Dolores County Court (2020 to 2022) and a district court magistrate (2021 to 2022) in the 22nd Judicial District.
Before joining the bench, Baca was the owner of Baca Consulting (2015 to 2022). In addition, he also served as manager of the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System at the University of Denver (2017 to 2018); an assistant public defender with the Office of the Municipal Defender in Denver (2016); an attorney at Mountain Legal, LLC (2011 to 2016); and an assistant to the Public Defender at New Mexico Public Defenders (2010 to 2011).
Baca received a B.A. in economics from Northwestern University in 2003. He went on to complete a J.D. at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law in 2009. While a law student, Baca interned for the Special Department of War Crimes in Bosnia and Herzegovina (2007), where he assisted in the prosecution of high-ranking officials accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Bosnian conflict in the 90s.
He was admitted to practice in New Mexico (2009) and Colorado (2011).
Baca served as president-elect of the Colorado Bar Association.