Eleventh Judicial District - Chaffee County Court Judge
Honorable William P. Alderton
Retention Year: 2000
Recommendation: Retain
The Eleventh Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance recommends that Judge William P. Alderton BE RETAINED.
Judge Alderton was appointed to the County Court bench for Chaffee County in 1990. Judge Alderton currently hears traffic, criminal (felony and misdemeanors), civil and traffic infractions.
Questionnaires for evaluation of Judge Alderton were sent to attorneys who have practiced in his court, court/probation employees, litigants and crime victims who have appeared in front of him, jurors who have served as jurors in his court, and law enforcement personnel who have appeared in his court. The responses to the questionnaires rated Judge Alderton highly overall. Those persons who responded to the questionnaires made the following recommendations concerning retention of Judge Alderton: Attorneys (11 responses) Retain - 91%, No Opinion - 0%, Do Not Retain - 9%; Court/Probation (17 responses) Retain - 76%, No Opinion - 12%, Do Not Retain - 12%; Litigants (17 responses) Retain - 71%, No Opinion - 18%, Do Not Retain - 12%; Jurors (14 responses) Retain - 93%, No Opinion - 7%, Do Not Retain - 0%; Law Enforcement (29 responses) Retain - 59%, No Opinion - 28%, Do Not Retain - 14%; Crime Victims (11 responses) Retain - 55%, No Opinion - 18%, Do Not Retain - 27%.
Based upon information supplied to the commission through questionnaires, public hearings and a personal interview with Judge Alderton, the commission is of the opinion that Judge Alderton makes efforts to create a courtroom that is receptive to the parties appearing in front of him. He maintains good courtroom control, is courteous to persons appearing in his court, and is knowledgeable in the questions of law and procedure applying to matters before him. The commission recognizes that court delays can be the result of the need to schedule cases at the same time for efficiency in disposing of cases that take only a few minutes. Court delays can also result because Judge Alderton allows both sides sufficient time to present his or her case and considers both arguments in his decisions. However, the Commission believes legitimate concerns were raised about docket control and promptness that Judge Alderton should investigate and address. Aside from the issue of docket control, information gathered by the Commission indicates that Judge Alderton is fair, impartial and treats parties equally.