First Judicial District - District Court Judge
Honorable Randall C. Arp
Retention Year: 2008
Recommendation: Retain
Reports:
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The First Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously and strongly recommends that Judge Randall C. Arp BE RETAINED, with one commissioner absent.
Background: Judge Arp was appointed to the First Judicial District Court bench in July, 2006. This is Judge Arp’s first performance review since being appointed. Prior to being appointed to the bench, Mr. Arp was engaged in the private practice of law with the firm of Bradley, Devitt and Arp, PC. His practice was primarily in the areas of family law, bankruptcy and a small amount of criminal defense. Judge Arp is involved in community service in a variety of ways including being on the Governing Board for Metropolitan Volunteer Lawyers.
Strengths: The attorney surveys that were returned showed that Judge Arp is widely respected by the attorneys who have appeared in his court. He obtained particularly high scores in the areas of case management and application and knowledge of law. In every category the attorneys rated Judge Arp higher than the state average for all judges in Colorado and for all district court judges in Colorado. This was particularly impressive given his short tenure on the district court bench. In fact, 100% of the attorneys surveyed recommended that Judge Arp be retained.
Weaknesses: While Judge Arp scores well among non-attorneys who have had business in his court (witnesses, jurors, police officers etc.), he scored slightly below the state average for judges in every category. His lowest score was in the area of “having a sense of compassion and human understanding for those who appear before him.” While Judge Arp scores well, there is room for improvement among non-attorneys’ impressions of him. It should be noted, however, that 87% of the non-attorneys surveyed recommend that Judge Arp be retained in office.
Recommendation: The Commission was favorably impressed with Judge Arp during his interview and with his survey results. It was noted that his respect among both attorneys and non-attorneys was very high and he has been on the bench less than two years at the time of the evaluation. Judge Arp understands the areas in which improvement can be made and he is committed to doing so. It is based on all of these factors that the Commission strongly and unanimously recommends that Judge Arp BE RETAINED.