In 2013, Norton filed a lawsuit against the state of Colorado alleging tax payer money being used to provide abortions.

As such, she had regulatory and programmatic responsibilities including bioterrorism preparedness; disease prevention and epidemiology; health facilities; family and community health services; emergency medical services; air and water quality protection; hazardous waste and solid waste management; and consumer protection.

[4] Additionally, Norton served in an array of ancillary capacities: Secretary, State Board of Health; Chair, Governor's Expert Emergency Epidemic Response Committee; Commissioned Officer, Food and Drug Administration; Board of Directors, Regional Air Quality Council; Leadership Council of the Multi-Agency Wildfire Restoration and Rehabilitation Team; Colorado Natural Resource Damages Trustee; Colorado Strategic Planning Group on Health Care Coverage; member of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials; National Governors' Association's Oral Health Policy Academy Colorado Team; and on the Governor's Disaster Emergency Council.

Norton has received the US Public Health Service Assistant Secretary's Award for Outstanding Accomplishment for increasing childhood immunization rates.

"[6] She has also served on the Children's Basic Health Plan Policy Board; Governor's Task Force on Victim Support for the Columbine High School Tragedy; Co-Chair of the Colorado Commission on Children's Dental Health; Task Force on Small Group and Rural Access Issues; the Governor's Task Force for Persons with Disabilities; and the Governor's Blue Ribbon Panel on Workforce Issues in Long Term Care.

[citation needed] In October 2006, she was invited to speak at the White House Conference on School Safety, where she shared lessons learned from the Columbine High School massacre, citing the importance of interoperable communications, emergency planning, inter-agency training, community participation, and moral literacy.

[8] On September 15, 2009, Norton held town-hall meetings in Denver, Colorado Springs, and Grand Junction to announce her bid for the Republican nomination to oppose incumbent U.S.

She joined a broad field of Republican primary candidates, including Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck, former State Senator Tom Wiens, and businessman Cleve Tidwell.

In the March 16, 2010 Colorado Caucus preference poll, Norton finished a close second (37.51%) to Ken Buck (38.15%), with Tom Wiens in third place (16.48%).