New judge helped cut Arapahoe family-law hearing waits to 3–4 months
The 18th Judicial District’s chief judge said waits for half- and full-day hearings fell from at least seven or eight months after a judge joined the domestic-relations docket.
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Family-law litigants in the 18th Judicial District were waiting about three to four months for half-day and full-day hearings as of Oct. 19, down from at least seven or eight months before a judge joined the domestic-relations docket, Chief Judge Michelle Amico said. The judge began work July 1, 2025, and Amico told Arapahoe County commissioners the added judge helped reduce the backlog.
Amico cited permanent-orders and allocation-of-parental-responsibilities hearings among the matters affected. The reported wait applies to half- and full-day hearings, not every court event or necessarily every type of family-law case.
For some divorcing couples, the shorter wait can mean an earlier hearing on contested issues. Amico said some can now have a permanent-orders hearing on the 92nd day after the required 91-day waiting period. That timing is possible in some cases, not a guarantee for every case.