A Denver County Court judge who was censured earlier this year after he was investigated for paying a defendant’s bond has resigned.
Judge Barry Schwartz sent in a letter of resignation June 29 announcing that he would leave the bench that day and use leave time until his official last day on Aug 18.
Denver7 Investigates reported last year that Schwartz was being investigated and was removed from the bench after a complaint was filed regarding his conduct during an Aug. 15, 2025 hearing.
During that hearing, an audio recording obtained by Denver7 Investigates showed that bond was set at $1 for a defendant in a forfeiture hearing. However, an attorney asked for a personal recognizance bond because the defendant didn’t have $1 and would need to go to an ATM.
Rather than award the PR bond, Schwartz said the court had a dollar to provide to the defendant.
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Legal experts said that action was ethically wrong and, even though it was just $1, judges have to maintain a sense of impartiality.
Schwartz was removed from the bench during a review by the Denver Judicial Discipline Commission. In January, he was censured by Mayor Mike Johnston and suspended for a week without pay.
Shortly after the suspension, court officials told Denver7 Investigates that Schwartz was reassigned to civil court as part of the regular annual court rotation.
Denver7 Investigates requested a comment from Schwartz through his attorney, David Beller. Beller responded with a statement that read:
“Judge Schwartz has led a life dedicated to public service, and serving the people of Denver as a County Court Judge has been among its greatest privileges. He served diligently, humbly, and compassionately. At 66 and approaching his tenth year on the bench, he decided the time had come to close this chapter and begin the next one. His years as a judge were the most challenging and rewarding of his professional life. He is grateful to his colleagues, to the court staff whose work makes justice possible every day, and above all to the people of this community, whom it was his honor to serve. He looks forward to retirement and to whatever adventure comes next.”
Schwartz was appointed by Mayor Michael Hancock and was retained by voters in 2024. He would have been up for re-election in November 2027.
It’s unclear what role, if any, prior discipline played in Schwartz’s resignation.
“We thank Judge Schwartz for his years of service on the Denver County Court bench and wish him the very best in his future endeavors,” a spokesperson for Denver County Court said in a statement.
