Folks in Custer County aren’t happy with the new judge that Gov. Hickenlooper appointed after county Judge Peter Michaelson was appointed as a district judge.

According to the George Gramlich, managing editor of the Sangre de Cristo Sentinel, there was something shady about the selection process that reeks of an inside job that led to Hickenlooper’s appointment of Amanda Hunter.

Gramlich laid out a case for how her appointment violates the state constitution because she’s not even a resident of the county. Hunter, who was sworn in last week, hails from Chaffee County.

Maybe I am reading this wrong (not the first time), but this just smells. Do we have perhaps a stacked selection committee, phony interviews, pre-selected winners, illegal selections and finally an unconstitutional appointment? When the selection committee fails to select the obviously two most qualified (and legally able to apply) applicants you have to ask if this whole process was a pre-ordained, political charade favoring the party in power to move their chosen political operatives/choices around the Colorado judicial system and control it.

We encourage readers to check out Gramlich’s entire article here. It does look fairly sleazy, as if well-qualified Republicans were passed over for a less qualified Democrat.

Gramlich says the paper has filed a complaint with Colorado Attorney General Cynthia Coffman, and they have notified Sens. Larry Crowder, Kevin Grantham and Rep, Jim Wilson as to what’s been going on in Custer County.

Stay tuned.