For many years, Judge Ball was a loved and respected jurist in Larimer County. Each spring the Conrad L. Ball Award is given, in his memory, to a recipient who has significantly contributed toward improving the quality of community justice in the County. The Larimer County Community Corrections Department conducts the awards process (gathering nominations, selecting the recipient, arranging the awards dinner, and presenting the award).

The recipient, usually an individual but sometimes co-recipients or a team, is selected from among candidates nominated each year by colleagues, coworkers, and citizens.

Nominations for the 46th Conrad Ball Award are now closed.

Please note that this award depends greatly on incoming nominations. Without appreciative people willing to take the time to submit nominations, the award could not happen. If you know someone who deserves recognition, please make the effort to nominate during the open nomination period (typically the Springtime of each year). Nominating is easy and just requires that you write a brief essay (not more than two typed pages) describing the nominee's outstanding or significant contribution(s) to the quality of justice in Larimer County.

Nominations are currently closed and will reopen in the Spring of 2025. Upon reopening, please use the Online Nomination Form.

If you have questions about the nomination process, please contact Nora Thompson at: (970) 498-7304 or NThompson@larimer.org

Nominations for the 2024 Award closed on July 17th and the recipient will be honored in the fall.

This year Chief Justice Brian Boatright will the be Key Note Speaker.

Brian D. Boatright was sworn in as Justice of the Colorado Supreme Court on November 21, 2011 and as Chief Justice on January 1, 2021. He was appointed by Governor John Hickenlooper. Before joining the Supreme Court, Justice Boatright was a District Court Judge in the First Judicial District in Golden, Colorado. He was appointed to that position on June 16, 1999 by Governor Bill Owens. As a District Court Judge, Justice Boatright presided over civil, felony criminal, dependency and neglect, juvenile delinquency, and probate matters. These involved well over a hundred jury trials.

Before his appointment to the District Court, Justice Boatright served as a Deputy District Attorney in the First Judicial District for over nine years. During his tenure with the D.A.’s Office, he tried everything from first degree murder cases to third degree assault cases. Before being appointed as a Deputy D.A., Justice Boatright was in private practice for approximately a year and a half with the firm of Boatright and Ripp.

Justice Boatright was born in Golden, Colorado and graduated from Jefferson High School in 1980. He graduated from Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri in 1984 and received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Denver in 1988.

Justice Boatright is a member of the Colorado Bar Association and the First Judicial District Bar Association and has held several offices, including President of the First Judicial District Bar Association for 2000-2001. In addition, Justice Boatright has served on several boards and committees including the Juvenile Services Planning Committee, Children Youth Leadership Commission, Plain English Jury Instruction Committee, and the Lieutenant Governor’s Committee to Promote Adoptions.

He has been the Dean of the Advance New Judges Training, an annual training for all new judicial officers, since 2007. Justice Boatright was named Colorado CASA Judicial Officer of the Year for 2011.

If you have questions about the award celebration, please contact Nora Thompson at: (970) 498-7304 or NThompson@larimer.org