Voters in La Plata County will decide whether two local judges retain their seats on the bench in the 6th Judicial District on Nov. 8 – or decide by default if they skip the often ignored down-ballot portion where judges reside.
“After doing this for 26 years it’s very common to see people not vote on those particular races,” said La Plata County Clerk and Recorder Tiffany Lee. “A lot of people don’t have any involvement with the courts so they just disregard them and really don’t want to take the time to research them and they leave them blank.”
In La Plata County 35,985 ballots were cast for president in 2020, while the retention votes garnered that year for the two 6th Judicial District judges up for retention were 28,600 for District Judge Todd Norvell and 28,583 for District Judge Suzanne Carlson.
But apathetic-to-the-bench voters beware – fictional court dramas are full of twist-of-fate defendants and victims who find their lawyers hoping for one judge over another based upon the judge’s history of decisions from the bench.
The two judges seeking retention that La Plata County voters will have a say in include county Judge Anne Woods and Chief District Judge Jeffrey Wilson.
Judges are reviewed by judicial commissions comprised of attorneys and non-attorneys. If the judges meet “performance standards” based on integrity, legal knowledge, communication skills, judicial temperament, administrative performance, and service to the legal profession and the public, they are recommended for retention in the voter’s ballot. Both Woods and Wilson met the performance standards.
Following is a breakdown of the commission’s findings. The reports can be viewed in full by going to judicialperformance.colorado.gov, then click on “Find a Judge” and select La Plata County.
The 6th Judicial District Commission voted 6-3 that Woods met performance standards. Woods was appointed in 2020.
Woods received an average overall score from the commission of 2.9 out of 4. The average of all county judges in Colorado was 3.4. While Woods’ results were below average, they marked a significant improvement over her interim survey results.
On the question of whether Woods met judicial performance standards: 53% of the 42 responding attorneys answered yes, 34% answered no, and 13% had no opinion. Of the 42 non-attorneys who responded, 68% answered yes, 23% answered no, and 9% had no opinion.
“A consistent theme emerged that Judge Woods has made significant efforts to improve her performance since the interim evaluation,” the report states. “During the interim evaluation, the commission found the public did not see Judge Woods as fair.”
The report goes on to say Woods had a tendency to look at mitigating factors in a defendant’s individual circumstances – generational trauma or history of abuse, “which can give rise to the appearance of inconsistency” and may have resulted in Woods being considered a “pro-defense” judge.
But the commission did note a “significant” increase in cash bail and sentences above the minimum since the interim evaluation, the report stated.
Judge Woods docket is comprised of about 25% civil, 75% criminal (50% misdemeanor and 50% traffic) cases, with 1-2% juvenile defendants.
The 6th Judicial District Commission voted 9-0 that Wilson met performance standards. Wilson was appointed in 2002. He was appointed Chief Judge of Colorado’s 6th District in 2017.
Wilson received an average overall score from the commission of 3.5 out of 4, which is above the state average of 3.4. The score reflects continued improvement for Wilson during his time on the bench, the report states.
On the question of whether Wilson met judicial performance standards: Among the attorneys who responded (the report does not say how many), 77% answered yes, and 18% answered no. The report does not mention the remaining 5%. One hundred percent of non-attorneys surveyed (again the report does not give a number) said yes. The survey also contacted six appellate judges who had worked with Wilson in the past. They rated Wilson 3.8 out of a possible 4. The state average is 3.7.
The commission agreed that Wilson “comes across as a judge who is sincerely interested in making both his courtroom and the district better.”
Judge Wilson is credited with handling increased administrative duties that came with being appointed chief judge, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic that had a major impact on the judicial system, and the difficulties securing a new courthouse in Archuleta County. He also assigned himself the most “complicated and high-profile case” in the district. In that case Mark Redwine was sentenced to 48 years in prison after being found guilty of second-degree murder and child abuse resulting in death.
gjaros@durangoherald.com
