[5] Judd was first elected to the Colorado House of Representatives in 2002, defeating Republican Brandi Moreland and Reform Party candidate Christopher Wilson with over 70 percent of votes cast.

Instead, he ran for the Colorado Senate in the 34th district but lost in the Democratic primary to Lucía Guzmán, the incumbent who had been appointed to the seat months earlier.

In 2006, Judd sponsored a measure to allow pregnant teenagers to seek medical treatment without parental consent; the bill passed the legislature and was enacted into law, albeit without the signature of Gov.

[12] Another 2007 measure by Judd, designed to limit handguns with vehicles unless the owner held a concealed carry permit,[13] was opposed by gun-rights advocates and the National Rifle Association of America,[14] and was defeated in committee.

One of Judd's successful 2007 bills was a measure to increases penalties for employers who willfully withhold pay from employees, written and pushed through the legislature with the help of students from the University of Denver's law clinic.