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Joel S. Thompson

Trial Court · Grand · Grand

Does Not Meet(Do Not Retain)2 cycles on record

Evaluation history

  • 2002 retention cycle
    Trial Court · Grand · Grand
    Does Not Meet(Do Not Retain)
    Retention Year: 2002 Recommendation: Do Not Retain Reports: 2002 Retention Survey Report Need an accessible PDF Document Version? Please click on the link below and email our staff Contact Us The Fourteenth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance recommends by a vote of six to three that Judge Joel S. Thompson NOT BE RETAINED. Judge Thompson was appointed to the District Court bench for the Fourteenth Judicial District in 1994. Prior to his appointment Judge Thompson was in private practice in Steamboat Springs for 13 years specializing in real estate law and general civil litigation. He graduated from Colorado State University in 1976 and from the University of Colorado Law School in 1980. Judge Thompson is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and the Order of the Coif. After law school, Judge Thompson served as a law clerk to Federal Judge Alfred A. Arraj. He has served on the Routt County Board of Zoning Adjustment, the Colorado Bar Association Board of Governors and is a board member of the Tread of Pioneers Museum. Judge Thompson has also taught law courses at Colorado Mountain College and Colorado Northwest Community College. He currently presides over criminal, civil, juvenile, domestic relations, mental health and probate cases in Moffat and Routt Counties and occasionally Grand County. The Commission was provided with survey responses from attorneys and non-attorneys. The non-attorney responses were from jurors, law enforcement, social services, courthouse personnel and non-attorney litigants who have appeared in front of the judge. The Commission also considered letters to the Commission concerning Judge Thompson, reviewed his written self-evaluation and conducted a personal interview with the judge. In survey results, Judge Thompson received consistently low ratings on the issue of courtesy to parties, witnesses or attorneys. For example, statewide 65% of attorneys and 68% of non-attorneys gave district court judges an "A" rating on courtesy to parties or witnesses. Judge Thompson received an "A" rating from only 28% of attorneys and only 38% of non-attorneys. Several responses describe him as arrogant, rude or inconsiderate and question the judge’s judicial temperament. During his interview, Judge Thompson indicated that he is not intentionally discourteous to litigants and witnesses although this may be the perception. However, he acknowledged that he fully intends to be critical of attorneys when their work is not in compliance with the Rules of Procedure or his orders. Judge Thompson received consistently high marks for his intellectual and legal abilities, accuracy of rulings and his knowledge of evidence and procedure rules. Some responses noted a concern that Judge Thompson occasionally makes up his mind and rules before all arguments are properly before him. However, the survey results indicate that his decisions are prompt and well reasoned and that he is hard working and efficient in managing his docket. Survey results showed that 75% of attorneys and 65% of non-attorneys favored retention of Judge Thompson. Survey responses questioned whether Judge Thompson’s personal relationships were having an effect on his judicial performance. Several comments indicated that publicity concerning his private life raised concerns as to public confidence and the standards of conduct to which judges must adhere. Judge Thompson stated that he feels he has a very high personal integrity and works hard to provide a fair and impartial forum for the resolution of legal disputes on a timely basis.
  • 1996 retention cycle
    Trial Court · Grand · Grand
    Meets Standards(Retain)
    VotersRetained· 71.9% yes
    9,456 yes · 3,689 no50% needed to retain
    Retention Year: 1996 Recommendation: Retain The Fourteenth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance recommends that Judge Thompson BE RETAINED. Judge Joel S. Thompson received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Colorado State University and his Juris Doctorate from the University of Colorado in 1980. Judge Thompson was admitted to the practice of law in 1980. He was in private practice until he was appointed District Judge of the Fourteenth Judicial District Court in 1994. Judge Thompson currently hears all district court cases, which include civil cases involving more than $10,000, criminal, domestic and juvenile cases. The Commission received responses to questionnaires sent to courthouse personnel, law enforcement, jurors and attorneys. Judge Thompson received high marks for clarity of oral and written opinions, integrity, and control of the courtroom. Judge Thompson is very punctual, energetic and hard working.

Surveys & reports

  • 2002 cycle
    • 2002 Retention Survey Report(PDF on OJPE)
      Read full retention survey textexpand
      ## Page 1 March 6, 2002 The Honorable Joel S. Thompson Moffat County Courthouse 221 West Victory Way Craig, CO 81625 Dear Judge Thompson: Every two years the Colorado Judicial Performance Commission conducts a survey of people who have been in the courtroom of judges who face a retention vote in the next general election. The 2002 survey was conducted by Talmey-Drake Research & Strategy, Inc., who attempted to contact over 55,000 people who had been in these courtrooms in one capacity or another. Over 18,000 people responded—3,686 to the attorney survey and 14,925 to the non-attorney survey. This report contains the results of those who were in your courtroom and who responded to the survey. In addition to this introduction, the report is divided into four main sections: • Results: This section contains the average and percentage distribution of responses to each substantive numerical question in the survey. It is divided into two subsections, one for the results of the attorney survey and one for the results of the non-attorney survey. • Comments: Respondents were also asked to comment about each judge on each section of the questionnaire: courtesy, impartiality, communications skills, judicial temperament, diligence, application of the law, retention and general comments. These comments have been transcribed, and in some instances redacted to eliminate respondent identifying information. Again this section has been divided into two subsections, one for attorney comments and one for non-attorney comments. • Methodology: The fourth section of the report discusses the methodology of the survey. • Questionnaires: And the final section provides copies of the questionnaires that were used. 100 Arap ahoe, Suite One, Boulder, CO 80302 Phone 303.443.5300 Fax 303.447.9386 ## Page 2 March 6, 2002 The Honorable Joel S. Thompson Page 2 If you have any questions about the methodology and how the survey was conducted, please feel free to contact me at 303-443-5300, and for any other questions you might have about the survey please call the Director of the Colorado Judicial Performance Program, Michelle Stermer, at 303-837-3665. Best regards, Paul A. Talmey President enc: ## Page 3 Judge Joel S. Thompson Attorney Survey 1a. How would you grade Judge Thompson on being courteous toward parties or witnesses? Judge All District All Trial Thompson Judges 2002 Judges 2002 A 28% 65% 65% B 35% 20% 21% C 15% 6% 7% D 5% 3% 3% Fail 8% 2% 2% No Grade 10% 4% 3% Average Grade 2.8 3.5 3.5 Letter Grade B- B+ B+ Judicial Performance Survey 2002 Judicial District 14 Page 1 ## Page 4 Judge Joel S. Thompson Attorney Survey 1b. How would you grade Judge Thompson on being courteous toward attorneys? Judge All District All Trial Thompson Judges 2002 Judges 2002 A 18% 60% 61% B 35% 22% 22% C 23% 8% 8% D 5% 4% 4% Fail 10% 3% 3% No Grade 10% 3% 3% Average Grade 2.5 3.4 3.4 Letter Grade C+ B+ B+ Judicial Performance Survey 2002 Judicial District 14 Page 2 ## Page 5 Judge Joel S. Thompson Attorney Survey 1c. How would you grade Judge Thompson on being courteous toward pro se parties? Judge All District All Trial Thompson Judges 2002 Judges 2002 A 15% 43% 48% B 28% 13% 14% C 13% 4% 6% D 3% 1% 2% Fail 5% 1% 2% No Grade 38% 37% 29% Average Grade 2.7 3.5 3.5 Letter Grade B- B+ B+ Judicial Performance Survey 2002 Judicial District 14 Page 3 ## Page 6 Judge Joel S. Thompson Attorney Survey 2a. How would you grade Judge Thompson on treating parties equally regardless of race? Judge All District All Trial Thompson Judges 2002 Judges 2002 A 45% 61% 63% B 13% 11% 12% C 3% 3% 3% D 1% 1% Fail 3% 1% 1% No Grade 38% 24% 19% Average Grade 3.6 3.7 3.7 Letter Grade B+ A- A- Judicial Performance Survey 2002 Judicial District 14 Page 4 ## Page 7 Judge Joel S. Thompson Attorney Survey 2b. How would you grade Judge Thompson on treating parties equally regardless of gender? Judge All District All Trial Thompson Judges 2002 Judges 2002 A 35% 65% 66% B 20% 12% 14% C 10% 5% 5% D 2% 2% Fail 10% 2% 2% No Grade 25% 14% 12% Average Grade 2.9 3.6 3.6 Letter Grade B- B+ B+ Judicial Performance Survey 2002 Judicial District 14 Page 5 ## Page 8 Judge Joel S. Thompson Attorney Survey 2c. How would you grade Judge Thompson on treating parties equally regardless of age? Judge All District All Trial Thompson Judges 2002 Judges 2002 A 43% 64% 66% B 23% 12% 13% C 3% 3% 4% D 1% 1% Fail 3% 1% 1% No Grade 30% 18% 15% Average Grade 3.5 3.7 3.7 Letter Grade B+ A- A- Judicial Performance Survey 2002 Judicial District 14 Page 6 ## Page 9 Judge Joel S. Thompson Attorney Survey 2d. How would you grade Judge Thompson on treating parties equally regardless of social/economic status? Judge All District All Trial Thompson Judges 2002 Judges 2002 A 45% 64% 65% B 25% 12% 13% C 3% 5% 5% D 3% 2% 2% Fail 5% 2% 2% No Grade 20% 15% 13% Average Grade 3.3 3.6 3.6 Letter Grade B B+ B+ Judicial Performance Survey 2002 Judicial District 14 Page 7 ## Page 10 Judge Joel S. Thompson Attorney Survey 2e. How would you grade Judge Thompson on being fair and impartial toward both sides? Judge All District All Trial Thompson Judges 2002 Judges 2002 A 43% 61% 60% B 28% 17% 17% C 8% 8% 8% D 8% 4% 5% Fail 5% 4% 4% No Grade 10% 6% 5% Average Grade 3.1 3.3 3.3 Letter Grade B B B Judicial Performance Survey 2002 Judicial District 14 Page 8 ## Page 11 Judge Joel S. Thompson Attorney Survey 2f. How would you grade Judge Thompson on treating pro se parties fairly? Judge All District All Trial Thompson Judges 2002 Judges 2002 A 33% 47% 51% B 20% 10% 11% C 5% 3% 4% D 1% 1% Fail 1% 1% No Grade 43% 38% 31% Average Grade 3.5 3.6 3.6 Letter Grade B+ B+ B+ Judicial Performance Survey 2002 Judicial District 14 Page 9 ## Page 12 Judge Joel S. Thompson Attorney Survey 2g. How would you grade Judge Thompson on not engaging in ex parte communications? Judge All District All Trial Thompson Judges 2002 Judges 2002 A 78% 61% 59% B 8% 10% 12% C 4% 4% D 3% 1% 1% Fail 2% 2% No Grade 13% 23% 21% Average Grade 3.8 3.7 3.6 Letter Grade A- A- B+ Judicial Performance Survey 2002 Judicial District 14 Page 10 ## Page 13 Judge Joel S. Thompson Attorney Survey 3a. How would you grade Judge Thompson on providing written communications that are clear, thorough, and well reasoned? Judge All District All Trial Thompson Judges 2002 Judges 2002 A 55% 42% 37% B 25% 23% 23% C 10% 9% 9% D 2% 2% Fail 3% 2% No Grade 10% 21% 27% Average Grade 3.5 3.3 3.2 Letter Grade B+ B B Judicial Performance Survey 2002 Judicial District 14 Page 11 ## Page 14 Judge Joel S. Thompson Attorney Survey 3b. How would you grade Judge Thompson on communicating verbally in a clear, thorough, and well reasoned manner? Judge All District All Trial Thompson Judges 2002 Judges 2002 A 60% 55% 54% B 25% 27% 28% C 3% 9% 9% D 5% 3% 4% Fail 2% 2% No Grade 8% 3% 3% Average Grade 3.5 3.3 3.3 Letter Grade B+ B B Judicial Performance Survey 2002 Judicial District 14 Page 12 ## Page 15 Judge Joel S. Thompson Attorney Survey 3c. How would you grade Judge Thompson on explaining court procedures clearly and thoroughly? Judge All District All Trial Thompson Judges 2002 Judges 2002 A 45% 54% 54% B 25% 25% 26% C 8% 9% 9% D 10% 3% 3% Fail 3% 2% 2% No Grade 10% 8% 7% Average Grade 3.1 3.4 3.4 Letter Grade B B+ B+ Judicial Performance Survey 2002 Judicial District 14 Page 13 ## Page 16 Judge Joel S. Thompson Attorney Survey 4a. How would you grade Judge Thompson on maintaining a professional demeanor in the courtroom? Judge All District All Trial Thompson Judges 2002 Judges 2002 A 38% 64% 64% B 40% 20% 21% C 5% 6% 7% D 5% 3% 4% Fail 5% 3% 3% No Grade 8% 3% 3% Average Grade 3.1 3.4 3.4 Letter Grade B B+ B+ Judicial Performance Survey 2002 Judicial District 14 Page 14 ## Page 17 Judge Joel S. Thompson Attorney Survey 4b. How would you grade Judge Thompson on listening patiently to all testimony and arguments before issuing a ruling? Judge All District All Trial Thompson Judges 2002 Judges 2002 A 30% 57% 57% B 28% 22% 22% C 18% 8% 8% D 5% 4% 5% Fail 8% 4% 4% No Grade 13% 5% 4% Average Grade 2.8 3.3 3.3 Letter Grade B- B B Judicial Performance Survey 2002 Judicial District 14 Page 15 ## Page 18 Judge Joel S. Thompson Attorney Survey 5a. How would you grade Judge Thompson on managing cases and docket efficiently and with minimal delay? Judge All District All Trial Thompson Judges 2002 Judges 2002 A 60% 45% 46% B 20% 27% 27% C 8% 11% 11% D 4% 4% Fail 4% 4% No Grade 13% 9% 8% Average Grade 3.6 3.2 3.2 Letter Grade B+ B B Judicial Performance Survey 2002 Judicial District 14 Page 16 ## Page 19 Judge Joel S. Thompson Attorney Survey 5b. How would you grade Judge Thompson on being punctual in commencing proceedings? Judge All District All Trial Thompson Judges 2002 Judges 2002 A 63% 55% 54% B 30% 28% 28% C 8% 9% D 2% 2% Fail 2% 2% No Grade 8% 4% 4% Average Grade 3.7 3.4 3.3 Letter Grade A- B+ B Judicial Performance Survey 2002 Judicial District 14 Page 17 ## Page 20 Judge Joel S. Thompson Attorney Survey 5c. How would you grade Judge Thompson on using court time efficiently? Judge All District All Trial Thompson Judges 2002 Judges 2002 A 58% 54% 54% B 30% 26% 25% C 5% 10% 10% D 3% 3% Fail 3% 3% No Grade 8% 5% 5% Average Grade 3.6 3.3 3.3 Letter Grade B+ B B Judicial Performance Survey 2002 Judicial District 14 Page 18 ## Page 21 Judge Joel S. Thompson Attorney Survey 5d. How would you grade Judge Thompson on being prepared for all court matters? Judge All District All Trial Thompson Judges 2002 Judges 2002 A 65% 59% 58% B 23% 22% 23% C 3% 7% 7% D 2% 3% Fail 2% 2% No Grade 10% 7% 7% Average Grade 3.7 3.4 3.4 Letter Grade A- B+ B+ Judicial Performance Survey 2002 Judicial District 14 Page 19 ## Page 22 Judge Joel S. Thompson Attorney Survey 5e. How would you grade Judge Thompson on being willing to handle cases on the docket even when they are complicated and time Judge All District All Trial Thompson Judges 2002 Judges 2002 A 53% 49% 49% B 18% 18% 18% C 3% 7% 7% D 8% 2% 3% Fail 3% 3% No Grade 20% 21% 21% Average Grade 3.4 3.4 3.4 Letter Grade B+ B+ B+ Judicial Performance Survey 2002 Judicial District 14 Page 20 ## Page 23 Judge Joel S. Thompson Attorney Survey 5f. How would you grade Judge Thompson on providing quick access to the court in emergency matters? Judge All District All Trial Thompson Judges 2002 Judges 2002 A 30% 32% 33% B 10% 13% 13% C 8% 5% 5% D 3% 2% 2% Fail 8% 2% 2% No Grade 43% 46% 45% Average Grade 2.9 3.3 3.3 Letter Grade B- B B Judicial Performance Survey 2002 Judicial District 14 Page 21 ## Page 24 Judge Joel S. Thompson Attorney Survey 6a. How would you grade Judge Thompson on having knowledge of the rules of evidence and procedure? Judge All District All Trial Thompson Judges 2002 Judges 2002 A 63% 57% 53% B 23% 24% 25% C 3% 8% 9% D 2% 3% Fail 2% 2% No Grade 13% 7% 7% Average Grade 3.7 3.4 3.3 Letter Grade A- B+ B Judicial Performance Survey 2002 Judicial District 14 Page 22 ## Page 25 Judge Joel S. Thompson Attorney Survey 6b. How would you grade Judge Thompson on ruling on motions in a timely matter? Judge All District All Trial Thompson Judges 2002 Judges 2002 A 68% 49% 49% B 15% 25% 25% C 5% 8% 8% D 3% 3% Fail 3% 3% No Grade 13% 11% 13% Average Grade 3.7 3.3 3.3 Letter Grade A- B B Judicial Performance Survey 2002 Judicial District 14 Page 23 ## Page 26 Judge Joel S. Thompson Attorney Survey 6c. How would you grade Judge Thompson on making the correct decision based upon the law and the facts? Judge All District All Trial Thompson Judges 2002 Judges 2002 A 48% 45% 44% B 30% 29% 29% C 5% 11% 12% D 8% 5% 5% Fail 4% 4% No Grade 10% 6% 6% Average Grade 3.3 3.1 3.1 Letter Grade B B B Judicial Performance Survey 2002 Judicial District 14 Page 24 ## Page 27 Judge Joel S. Thompson Attorney Survey 6d. How would you grade Judge Thompson on making decisions without regard to possible criticism? Judge All District All Trial Thompson Judges 2002 Judges 2002 A 65% 51% 50% B 15% 20% 20% C 5% 8% 8% D 3% 3% 3% Fail 3% 3% No Grade 13% 16% 15% Average Grade 3.6 3.4 3.3 Letter Grade B+ B+ B Judicial Performance Survey 2002 Judicial District 14 Page 25 ## Page 28 Judge Joel S. Thompson Attorney Survey 7. Do you recommend that Judge Thompson be retained in office or not be retained in office? Judge All District All Trial Thompson Judges 2002 Judges 2002 Retain in office 75% 85% 84% Do not retain in office 18% 10% 11% No opinion 8% 5% 5% Judicial Performance Survey 2002 Judicial District 14 Page 26 ## Page 29 Judge Joel S. Thompson Non-Attorney Survey 1a. How would you grade Judge Thompson on being courteous toward everyone in the courtroom? Judge All District All Trial Thompson Judges 2002 Judges 2002 A 38% 68% 67% B 35% 19% 19% C 11% 5% 6% D 3% 2% 2% Fail 6% 2% 2% No Grade 7% 4% 4% Average Grade 3.0 3.6 3.5 Letter Grade B B+ B+ Judicial Performance Survey 2002 Judicial District 14 Page 1 ## Page 30 Judge Joel S. Thompson Non-Attorney Survey 1b. How would you grade Judge Thompson on being courteous toward persons representing themselves? Judge All District All Trial Thompson Judges 2002 Judges 2002 A 29% 44% 47% B 23% 14% 15% C 5% 4% 5% D 3% 1% 2% Fail 3% 2% 2% No Grade 36% 35% 30% Average Grade 3.1 3.5 3.4 Letter Grade B B+ B+ Judicial Performance Survey 2002 Judicial District 14 Page 2 ## Page 31 Judge Joel S. Thompson Non-Attorney Survey 2a. How would you grade Judge Thompson on treating parties equally regardless of race? Judge All District All Trial Thompson Judges 2002 Judges 2002 A 55% 68% 65% B 18% 14% 14% C 4% 3% 4% D 1% 1% Fail 2% 1% 2% No Grade 21% 13% 14% Average Grade 3.6 3.7 3.6 Letter Grade B+ A- B+ Judicial Performance Survey 2002 Judicial District 14 Page 3 ## Page 32 Judge Joel S. Thompson Non-Attorney Survey 2b. How would you grade Judge Thompson on treating parties equally regardless of gender? Judge All District All Trial Thompson Judges 2002 Judges 2002 A 54% 70% 67% B 22% 15% 16% C 7% 4% 5% D 2% 1% 2% Fail 9% 2% 2% No Grade 7% 8% 9% Average Grade 3.2 3.6 3.6 Letter Grade B B+ B+ Judicial Performance Survey 2002 Judicial District 14 Page 4 ## Page 33 Judge Joel S. Thompson Non-Attorney Survey 2c. How would you grade Judge Thompson on treating parties equally regardless of age? Judge All District All Trial Thompson Judges 2002 Judges 2002 A 55% 70% 67% B 19% 15% 16% C 9% 4% 5% D 2% 1% 1% Fail 3% 1% 2% No Grade 12% 9% 10% Average Grade 3.4 3.7 3.6 Letter Grade B+ A- B+ Judicial Performance Survey 2002 Judicial District 14 Page 5 ## Page 34 Judge Joel S. Thompson Non-Attorney Survey 2d. How would you grade Judge Thompson on treating parties equally regardless of social/economic status? Judge All District All Trial Thompson Judges 2002 Judges 2002 A 52% 69% 66% B 21% 15% 15% C 7% 4% 5% D 3% 2% 2% Fail 4% 2% 3% No Grade 12% 9% 9% Average Grade 3.3 3.6 3.5 Letter Grade B B+ B+ Judicial Performance Survey 2002 Judicial District 14 Page 6 ## Page 35 Judge Joel S. Thompson Non-Attorney Survey 2e. How would you grade Judge Thompson on being fair and impartial toward both sides? Judge All District All Trial Thompson Judges 2002 Judges 2002 A 49% 68% 65% B 24% 15% 16% C 6% 5% 5% D 5% 2% 2% Fail 6% 4% 4% No Grade 10% 6% 7% Average Grade 3.2 3.5 3.5 Letter Grade B B+ B+ Judicial Performance Survey 2002 Judicial District 14 Page 7 ## Page 36 Judge Joel S. Thompson Non-Attorney Survey 2f. How would you grade Judge Thompson on treating parties without attorneys fairly? Judge All District All Trial Thompson Judges 2002 Judges 2002 A 34% 40% 43% B 15% 11% 12% C 5% 3% 4% D 3% 1% 2% Fail 2% 2% 3% No Grade 42% 44% 37% Average Grade 3.3 3.5 3.4 Letter Grade B B+ B+ Judicial Performance Survey 2002 Judicial District 14 Page 8 ## Page 37 Judge Joel S. Thompson Non-Attorney Survey 2g. How would you grade Judge Thompson on giving each side enough time to present his or her case? Judge All District All Trial Thompson Judges 2002 Judges 2002 A 56% 66% 63% B 23% 16% 16% C 9% 5% 5% D 3% 2% 2% Fail 3% 2% 3% No Grade 6% 9% 11% Average Grade 3.3 3.6 3.5 Letter Grade B B+ B+ Judicial Performance Survey 2002 Judicial District 14 Page 9 ## Page 38 Judge Joel S. Thompson Non-Attorney Survey 3a. How would you grade Judge Thompson on speaking in a way that is clearly understood? Judge All District All Trial Thompson Judges 2002 Judges 2002 A 60% 72% 70% B 22% 18% 19% C 9% 5% 6% D 3% 1% 2% Fail 2% 1% 1% No Grade 4% 2% 2% Average Grade 3.4 3.6 3.6 Letter Grade B+ B+ B+ Judicial Performance Survey 2002 Judicial District 14 Page 10 ## Page 39 Judge Joel S. Thompson Non-Attorney Survey 3b. How would you grade Judge Thompson on explaining court procedures clearly and thoroughly? Judge All District All Trial Thompson Judges 2002 Judges 2002 A 58% 71% 69% B 25% 18% 18% C 9% 5% 6% D 3% 1% 2% Fail 2% 1% 2% No Grade 3% 4% 4% Average Grade 3.4 3.6 3.6 Letter Grade B+ B+ B+ Judicial Performance Survey 2002 Judicial District 14 Page 11 ## Page 40 Judge Joel S. Thompson Non-Attorney Survey 4a. How would you grade Judge Thompson on maintaining a professional demeanor in the courtroom? Judge All District All Trial Thompson Judges 2002 Judges 2002 A 54% 74% 72% B 25% 15% 16% C 9% 5% 5% D 5% 2% 2% Fail 3% 1% 2% No Grade 5% 3% 3% Average Grade 3.3 3.6 3.6 Letter Grade B B+ B+ Judicial Performance Survey 2002 Judicial District 14 Page 12 ## Page 41 Judge Joel S. Thompson Non-Attorney Survey 4b. How would you grade Judge Thompson on listening patiently to all testimony and arguments before issuing a ruling? Judge All District All Trial Thompson Judges 2002 Judges 2002 A 49% 68% 66% B 23% 16% 17% C 14% 5% 5% D 3% 2% 2% Fail 5% 3% 3% No Grade 6% 6% 6% Average Grade 3.1 3.5 3.5 Letter Grade B B+ B+ Judicial Performance Survey 2002 Judicial District 14 Page 13 ## Page 42 Judge Joel S. Thompson Non-Attorney Survey 5a. How would you grade Judge Thompson on managing cases efficiently and with minimal delay? Judge All District All Trial Thompson Judges 2002 Judges 2002 A 50% 57% 56% B 28% 21% 22% C 8% 8% 8% D 4% 3% 3% Fail 2% 2% 2% No Grade 8% 9% 9% Average Grade 3.3 3.4 3.4 Letter Grade B B+ B+ Judicial Performance Survey 2002 Judicial District 14 Page 14 ## Page 43 Judge Joel S. Thompson Non-Attorney Survey 5b. How would you grade Judge Thompson on starting court on time? Judge All District All Trial Thompson Judges 2002 Judges 2002 A 59% 59% 57% B 23% 22% 23% C 10% 8% 9% D 2% 3% 3% Fail 1% 2% 2% No Grade 5% 6% 6% Average Grade 3.5 3.4 3.4 Letter Grade B+ B+ B+ Judicial Performance Survey 2002 Judicial District 14 Page 15 ## Page 44 Judge Joel S. Thompson Non-Attorney Survey 5c. How would you grade Judge Thompson on being prepared for cases? Judge All District All Trial Thompson Judges 2002 Judges 2002 A 60% 66% 64% B 21% 17% 18% C 6% 5% 6% D 3% 1% 2% Fail 3% 2% 2% No Grade 9% 9% 9% Average Grade 3.4 3.6 3.5 Letter Grade B+ B+ B+ Judicial Performance Survey 2002 Judicial District 14 Page 16 ## Page 45 Judge Joel S. Thompson Non-Attorney Survey 6a. How would you grade Judge Thompson on considering all information presented when making a decision? Judge All District All Trial Thompson Judges 2002 Judges 2002 A 49% 63% 62% B 21% 15% 16% C 5% 5% 5% D 7% 2% 2% Fail 6% 3% 4% No Grade 12% 11% 11% Average Grade 3.1 3.5 3.5 Letter Grade B B+ B+ Judicial Performance Survey 2002 Judicial District 14 Page 17 ## Page 46 Judge Joel S. Thompson Non-Attorney Survey 6b. How would you grade Judge Thompson on having knowledge of the rules of evidence, procedure and the law? Judge All District All Trial Thompson Judges 2002 Judges 2002 A 61% 69% 67% B 15% 14% 16% C 5% 4% 5% D 5% 1% 2% Fail 3% 2% 2% No Grade 10% 10% 10% Average Grade 3.4 3.6 3.6 Letter Grade B+ B+ B+ Judicial Performance Survey 2002 Judicial District 14 Page 18 ## Page 47 Judge Joel S. Thompson Non-Attorney Survey 6c. How would you grade Judge Thompson on deciding important matters in a timely way? Judge All District All Trial Thompson Judges 2002 Judges 2002 A 52% 64% 62% B 24% 17% 18% C 8% 5% 6% D 3% 2% 2% Fail 4% 2% 2% No Grade 9% 10% 10% Average Grade 3.3 3.5 3.5 Letter Grade B B+ B+ Judicial Performance Survey 2002 Judicial District 14 Page 19 ## Page 48 Judge Joel S. Thompson Non-Attorney Survey 6d. How would you grade Judge Thompson on making decisions without regard to public criticism? Judge All District All Trial Thompson Judges 2002 Judges 2002 A 45% 57% 55% B 21% 13% 14% C 5% 4% 5% D 5% 2% 2% Fail 4% 2% 3% No Grade 19% 22% 22% Average Grade 3.2 3.5 3.5 Letter Grade B B+ B+ Judicial Performance Survey 2002 Judicial District 14 Page 20 ## Page 49 Judge Joel S. Thompson Non-Attorney Survey 7. Do you recommend that Judge Thompson be retained in office or not be retained in office? Judge All District All Trial Thompson Judges 2002 Judges 2002 Retain in office 65% 85% 83% Do not retain in office 19% 7% 8% No opinion 16% 8% 9% Judicial Performance Survey 2002 Judicial District 14 Page 21 ## Page 50 MMeetthhooddoollooggyy Sample: The Colorado Judicial Department provided Talmey-Drake Research & Strategy, Inc. with a list of cases heard and closed during the two years prior to the summer of 2001 by the 115 justices and judges standing for retention in November 2002. From this list of cases, Talmey-Drake Research drew a sample of the 250 cases most recently closed for each judge or justice. In some instances where there were an insufficient number of cases (or participants in cases), the time period during which cases could be drawn was lengthened. For each case selected a list of people associated with the case who had likely appeared in the judge’s courtroom were drawn from the Judicial Department’s database, ICON, and the Colorado District Attorney’s database (Blackstone system). The cases and the associated case participants were divided up among the 22 judicial districts and put on CD ROM. These CD’s were distributed to the judicial districts, and district personnel added the names of people who were associated with a case, but whose names and addresses had not been captured electronically. The data from the judicial districts were then returned to Talmey-Drake Research where the data was combined and cleaned. Included in the data cleaning was the identification of potential respondents in the sample who had appeared in more than two judges’ courtrooms. Due to concerns about respondent fatigue, no more than two questionnaires were intended to be sent to any one respondent—though there were a few instances where one respondent did receive more than two questionnaires. Where a person had been in more than two judges’ courtrooms, the selection criteria for which judges he or she would be sent questionnaires was: first, for the judge in whose courtroom the potential respondent had been in most often, and two, the judge with the smallest sample of the judges in whose courtroom the potential respondent had been in. Added to this database were a database of jurors and one of court employees. Survey: In November 2002, each person in the database was mailed a postcard saying they would receive a questionnaire concerning judicial performance and that it was important for them to fill it out and return it. Shortly thereafter, they were sent an initial questionnaire and an introductory letter with a postage- paid return envelope. Those who did not respond to the first questionnaire were then sent a sent a second questionnaire and letter. Non-respondents to the second survey were sent a reminder postcard. At this point, non- responders who had been sent questionnaires about judges who had not yet achieved a target cooperation rate of 40% were sent a third letter and questionnaire—and a follow up postcard. During this process, the sample was augmented for judges with a particularly low number of completed questionnaires. 1 ## Page 51 Questionnaire:The questionnaire used in the 2002 Judicial Performance Survey is identical to the questionnaire used for the 2000 survey. Respondents were asked to use a grade of A, B, C, D, or F (Fail) to assess the justice’s or judge’s performance in the areas of Courtesy, Impartiality, Communication, Judicial Temperament, Diligence and Application of the Law. These scores were then converted to a numerical value where A = 4, B = 3, C = 2, D = 1 and Fail = 0. Response: The response rate is calculated as the number of completed questionnaires divided by the number of eligible respondents who actually received a questionnaire. The following table shows the total number of questionnaires mailed, completed, non-responses & refusals, undeliverables and other responses. The table presents the overall response rate as well as the response rate by the different types of respondents. Refused/ Nonre- Unde- Response Attorney Respondents Total Sent Completed sponse livered Other Rate District Attorney 852 511 227 42 72 69.2% Attorney For Defendant 3,277 1,921 809 223 324 70.4% Attorney for Plaintiff 1,711 1,001 428 92 190 70.0% Guardian ad Litem 85 47 22 9 7 68.1% Unknown Attorney Type 460 206 112 102 40 64.8% Attorney Total 6,385 3,686 1,598 468 633 69.8% Refused/ Nonre- Unde- Response Non-Attny Respondents Total Sent Completed sponse livered Other Rate Law Enforcement 6,918 2,517 2,648 577 1,176 48.7% Social Services Casewrkr 117 61 36 15 5 62.9% Employee 1,946 1,142 526 105 173 68.5% Defendant 15,701 2,467 7,511 5,109 614 24.7% Plaintiff 3,276 943 1,538 553 242 38.0% Juror 12,910 6,565 4,443 776 1,126 59.6% Victim 3,158 414 1,601 788 355 20.5% Other 4,611 816 2,288 951 556 26.3% Non-attorney Total 48,637 14,925 20,591 8,874 4,247 42.0% Total 55,022 18,611 22,189 9,342 4,880 45.6% A similar table showing the response count and cooperation rate for your survey is provided at the end of this methodology section. 2 ## Page 52 Results: The results of the Survey are in two main sections: Results and Comments. Within each main section are two subsections, one for each general type of respondent, attorney or non-attorney. Results: This section shows the percentage distribution of grades you received on each of the substantive questions plus the retain/do not retain question. An average grade point for each graded question is computed and shown in the results section. A letter grade is also assigned to each grade point according to the following scale. A = 4.00 B = 3.00 to 3.33 C = 2.00 to 2.33 D = 1.00 to 1.33 A— = 3.68 to 3.99 B— = 2.67 to 2.99 C— = 1.67 to 1.99 D— = 0.67 to 0.99 B+ = 3.34 to 3.66 C+ = 2.34 to 2.66 D+ = 1.34 to 1.66 Fail = 0.00 to 0.67 This section also includes two comparative columns of results: one comparative column shows the results for that question for all county or district judges (as appropriate) surveyed in 2002, along with a second comparative column showing the results for all trial judges in the 2002 survey. Comments: Each respondent was encouraged to comment on the judge’s performance in the six areas of Courtesy, Impartiality, Communication, Judicial temperament, Diligence, Application of the law as well as the judge’s Overall performance. This section contains these comments—again divided between results from attorneys and non-attorneys. Sampling All sample surveys are subject to what is known as sampling error—the Error: extent to which the results of the sample survey may differ from what would be obtained if the entire population being surveyed had been interviewed. The size of the sampling error is almost entirely due to the number of people interviewed for the survey and the variance of responses. The table below shows the extent of sampling error (95%-confidence interval) for various sizes of random samples and sample percentage results. Sample Size 25 50 100 150 200 300 Percentages near 10% or 90% ± 11.8% ± 8.3% ± 5.9% ± 4.8% ± 4.2% ± 3.4% Percentages near 20% or 80% ± 15.7% ± 11.1% ± 7.8% ± 6.4% ± 5.5% ± 4.5% Percentages near 30% or 70% ± 18.0% ± 12.7% ± 9.0% ± 7.3% ± 6.4% ± 5.2% Percentages near 40% or 60% ± 19.2% ± 13.6% ± 9.6% ± 7.8% ± 6.8% ± 5.5% Percentages near 50% ± 19.6% ± 13.9% ± 9.8% ± 8.0% ± 6.9% ± 5.7% For example, suppose a reported percentage is 80% in a sample size of 150, then one could expect that 95% of the time that a random sample of the same size and collected the same way would include the true population percentage within the range of 80% plus or minus 6.4%. Averages such as grade points also have a 95% confidence interval, however it is not so easily displayed in a table as confidence intervals about a percentage. Suffice it to say that the confidence interval about a score generally increases with smaller sample size. 3 ## Page 53 Judge Joel S. Thompson Survey Disposition Report Total Refusals & Undeliv- Other Response Sent Completes Nonresponse erables Response Rate District Attorney 5 5 100.0% Attorney For Defendant 41 20 13 8 60.6% Attorney for Plaintiff 28 15 10 1 2 60.0% Guardian ad Litem Unknown Attorney Type Sub Total: 74 40 23 1 10 63.5% Law Enforcement 2 2 100.0% Social Services Caseworker 4 4 100.0% Employee 26 20 4 2 83.3% Defendant 58 10 22 23 3 31.3% Plaintiff 58 17 27 7 7 38.6% Juror 68 41 18 4 5 69.5% Victim 93 19 40 24 10 32.2% Other 21 4 14 2 1 22.2% Sub Total: 330 117 125 60 28 48.3% Total: 404 157 148 61 38 51.5% 1. 'Other Response' predominately includes people who sent back a survey saying they did not appear in the courtroom, and people who are deceased, or otherwise incapable of responding, and people who could not recall the experience. 2. The Response Rate is calculated using the following formula: Completes (Total Sent - Undeliverables - Other Responses) Judicial Performance Survey 2002 Judicial District 14

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