Second Judicial District - District Court Judge
Honorable Mark T. Bailey
Retention Year: 2024
Recommendation: Meets Performance Standards
Reports:
2024 Retention Survey Report (PDF)
2023 Interim Survey Report (PDF)
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The Second Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously agrees by a vote of 9–0, with one Commissioner vacancy, that Judge Mark T. Bailey MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS. The Colorado statutory judicial performance criteria are integrity, legal knowledge, communication skills, judicial temperament, administrative performance, and service to the legal profession and the public.
Judge Bailey currently presides over civil matters in the Denver District Court. Judge Bailey meets all aspects of the performance criteria on which he is evaluated. Judge Bailey’s written decisions are clear, thorough, and well-reasoned. His notable strengths, observed by the Commission and described in survey responses, include being well prepared for cases, managing court proceedings efficiently and treating those parties appearing before his courtroom with respect.
The Commission, based on its observation and analysis of survey responses, did not identify any evaluation category in which Judge Bailey displayed a notable weakness as to the performance criteria. Judge Bailey exceeded the Court’s productivity benchmark for civil courtrooms, completing approximately 98% of cases within 18 months. The Commission met with the Chief Judge of Denver District Court to discuss challenges facing the court system. The Commission conducted a personal interview with Judge Bailey and observed him during court proceedings. It also reviewed opinions he authored, comments received from interested parties during the evaluation, recordings from his courtroom, case management data, and judicial performance survey responses from attorneys and non-attorneys who interacted with him. The surveys reflected personal opinions regarding Judge Bailey in the categories of case management, application and knowledge of the law, communications, diligence, demeanor, and fairness. A total of 42 attorneys and two non-attorneys responded to the judicial performance surveys expressing their opinion of Judge Bailey. The overall information and data reviewed supports the Commission’s recommendation that Judge Bailey be retained.
Judge Bailey was appointed to the Denver District Court in 2022. Prior to his appointment, he prosecuted consumer protection cases with the Colorado Attorney General’s office for 12 years. Before that, he clerked for a Colorado Supreme Court Justice and worked in private practice. Judge Bailey earned his bachelor’s degree from Luther College and his law degree from the University of Iowa College of Law, where he served as an Articles Editor on the Iowa Law Review. Judge Bailey has been active in his community, using his Spanish language skills to provide pro bono legal services and volunteering for a nonprofit that distributes and plants trees in Denver.