Michael J. Rourke became the elected District Attorney for Weld County after the November, 2016 election. He was originally appointed as District Attorney by Governor John Hickenlooper in December, 2014 after Ken Buck was elected to Congress.
A veteran prosecutor, Michael has served both the 18th and 19th Judicial Districts as a Deputy District Attorney, prosecuting numerous First Degree Murder, Sexual Assault, Sexual Assault on Children and Crimes of Violence cases.
Michael was hired by the 18th Judicial District in 1997, and worked there until 2004. In 2005, Michael came to Weld County as a Chief Deputy District Attorney, and was promoted to Assistant District Attorney in November, 2007. He remained in that position until his appointment as District Attorney.
Michael earned his undergraduate degree in History from The University of Colorado-Boulder in 1994. He received his Juris Doctorate in 1997 from the University of Denver School of Law. Michael has received several prestigious awards, including the 2010 Robert R. Gallagher Prosecutor of the Year awarded by the Colorado District Attorneys’ Council and the 2015 Criminal Justice Award given by the Colorado Organization for Victim Assistance. In addition to his prosecution experience, Michael has been a trainer and presenter on investigation and prosecution topics such as no-body homicide cases, sexual assaults, crimes against children, violent crimes and legislative changes. He was the co-keynote presenter at the 2013 Colorado District Attorneys’ Council Annual Conference.
A Weld County resident, Michael has been active in our local community for many years, including serving on the Weld County Community Corrections Board, the Criminal Justice Advisory Committee, and the Weld County Child Fatality Review Team.