If you don’t know much about the judges up for retention on this year’s ballot, that’s to be expected.
Forty years ago, Colorado enacted reforms that have assiduously separated politics from life as a judge.
Colorado judges can’t collect political contributions. They can’t endorse candidates. And they can’t participate in campaigns — by and large, not even their own retention bids.
But there is a way to look up detailed report cards on every judge seeking retention in general elections.
Colorado’s Commissions on Judicial Performance, independent boards created by the state legislature, conduct extensive performance reviews of judges.
Local district commissions send out numerous survey questionnaires to people who frequently deal with the judge up for retention. Those include litigants, jurors, prosecutors, private lawyers and public defenders.
The resulting reports are quite detailed. For instance, the survey report recommending the retention of Colorado Supreme Court Justice Gregory J. Hobbs Jr. is 44 pages long.
Respondents were asked whether they thought he was fair and impartial. They did, by and large, giving him a score of 3.4 out of a possible 4.0. Other questions center on whether the jurist in question is prepared, courteous and issues opinions in a timely manner. Overall, the survey participants had quite a favorable opinion of Justice Hobbs.
That’s not the case with Jefferson County Court Judge Judy Archuleta. The 1st Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance recommended that she not be retained. She is the only judge in Colorado up for retention who received such a recommendation.
The summary report said survey participants spoke of Archuleta’s “poor people skills” and called her rude and harsh. There was particular concern, according to the report, about the judge’s “interactions with victims, particularly domestic violence victims.”
The report includes a response from Archuleta, who said a “small group,” which is “not unbiased,” wants her off the bench for her sentencing philosophy. She went on to say she is rated highly for her judicial skills.
The report is startling for its depth of information and clarity, as are all of the detailed judicial evaluations.
We believe that if voters take the time to look up the jurists on their ballot they’ll be armed with all the information they need to decide who should stay on the bench and who shouldn’t.
To find judges standing for retention in your judicial district, go to .
