Twelfth Judicial District - Conejos County Court Judge
Honorable Gordon J. Bosa
Retention Year: 1990
Recommendation: Retain
Judicial Performance Commission’s recommendation: Should Be Retained.
Judge Bosa graduated from Ohio University in 1975 with a major in communications. He graduated from law school at Ohio State University in June 1978 and was admitted to the Colorado Bar in September 1978. He was a deputy district attorney with the 12th Judicial District Attorney’s Office for about two years before being appointed as judge of Conejos County in September 1980. He handles traffic, misdemeanor and criminal cases; civil cases under $5,000; small claims court; and temporary restraining orders.
Bosa says he feels it is important to have a county judge in each county who knows the people and the circumstances of the people in the county; that his best qualities are patience on the bench and knowledge of the law; and it is important to have standard sentencing practices so all people are treated equally. He regularly attends seminars and reads magazines to keep up with the changes in the law.
In small claims proceedings, Bosa says it is important to listen to both sides and then to the extent possible try to accommodate both sides. Bosa says defendants in criminal and traffic cases should be given sufficient time to pay their fines but that it should be done promptly, and he monitors the payment of such fines regularly.
The great majority of all groups surveyed returned favorable questionnaires, but several respondents expressed concern about the judge’s control of his temper in the courtroom.