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Caroline M. Benham

Trial Court · El Paso · El Paso

Meets Standards(Retain)3 cycles on record

Evaluation history

  • 1998 retention cycle
    Trial Court · El Paso · El Paso
    Meets Standards(Retain)
    Retention Year: 1998 Recommendation: Retain The Fourth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance recommends that Judge Caroline M. Benham BE RETAINED. Judge Caroline M. Benham was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She was raised there and in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In 1963, she received her B.A. from Colorado College and her M.S.W. from the University of Denver in 1965. She obtained her law degree from the University of Colorado School of Law in 1975. Judge Benham worked as a full-time social worker at Fort Morgan Mental Health Center from 1965 to 1969 and worked part-time in private practice as a social worker until she started law school in 1972. She was admitted to the Colorado Bar in October of 1975. Judge Benham entered private practice as a lawyer in 1975, later becoming Juvenile Court Referee and then Juvenile Court Commissioner and District Court Referee in the Fourth Judicial District. In August of 1987, she was appointed an El Paso County Court Judge and has served in that capacity since September 1987. She has received numerous awards, including outstanding Woman Lawyer in 1987. She is very active in community and Bar Association activities. Judge Benham is considered courteous and fair to litigants and lawyers alike. She received positive support from 75% of the lawyers. Jurors and law enforcement personnel are very supportive of Judge Benham as well.
  • 1994 retention cycle
    Trial Court · El Paso · El Paso
    Meets Standards(Retain)
    Retention Year: 1994 Recommendation: Retain Judge Caroline Benham graduated from the University of Colorado School of Law in 1975. Judge Benham was first appointed to the El Paso County Court bench in 1987. Prior to her appointment to the County Court bench, Judge Benham served as a Juvenile Court Referee-Commissioner from 1976 to 1987 and as a District Court Referee-Juvenile Court Commissioner from 1981 to 1987. Judge Benham was last retained by voters in 1990. Her ratings among those responding attorneys surveyed has remained exactly the same since she was last rated in 1990. The attorneys polled gave Judge Benham a retention rating of 70.4% for retention and 20.4% for no retention. 9.2% had not comment regarding retention. Overall, the practitioners that appear before he gave very high ratings for her courtesy and fairness (91.2% and 85.5% approval rating respectively) and her ability to handle an extremely heavy case load (92.1% approval). However, over a third of those same practitioners felt that she should improve her understanding of the substantive law (67.8% feel she displays an appropriate knowledge of the law), and evidentiary and procedural law (65.5% felt she displays appropriate knowledge of evidence and procedure). Based upon all the information presented to the Fourth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance it is the opinion of the Commission that Judge Caroline Benham BE RETAINED.
  • 1990 retention cycle
    Trial Court · El Paso · El Paso
    Meets Standards(Retain)
    Retention Year: 1990 Recommendation: Retain Judicial Performance Commission’s recommendation: Should Be Retained. Judge Benham was appointed an El Paso County Judge in August 1987 after serving as a Juvenile Court Commissioner for 11 years. Prior to appointment as juvenile commissioner, she was briefly engaged in private practice. She received her undergraduate degree from Colorado College in May 1963 and graduated from the University of Colorado School of Law in May 1975. She has been licensed to practice law in the state of Colorado since October 1975. Benham hears County Court criminal and civil cases along with some juvenile, domestic relations, and mental health cases. She also handles some District Court civil and criminal trials as assigned by the Chief Judge of the District Court. Comments made by attorneys reflected that many believed Benham to be a good judge. Some felt she would benefit from more experience on the bench.

Surveys & reports

No survey reports on record for this judge.

Sources