Ninth Judicial District - District Court Judge
Honorable James Berkley Boyd
Retention Year: 2012
Recommendation: Retain
Reports:
2012 Retention Survey Report (PDF)
2011 Interim Survey Report (PDF)
2009 Interim Survey Report (PDF)
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The Ninth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously recommends that Chief Judge James Berkley Boyd BE RETAINED.
Judge Boyd received a B.A. from the University of Denver, graduating summa cum laude in 1977. He was a member of the Board of Editors for the Stanford Law Review, receiving his J.D. from Stanford University in 1981. Prior to taking the bench, Judge Boyd was employed in private practice civil litigation with Ireland, Stapleton & Pryor , 1981-1982; Holland & Hart, 1982-1995; solo practice, 1996-1998; Boyd & Bazil, 1998-2003. His professional and community activities include the Chief Judges Council, member; Problem Solving Court Advisory Committee to the Chief Justice of Colorado, member; AMAC (Judicial Administrators’ Advisory Council to the Chief Justice), member; Pitkin County Bar Association, former president; Colorado Bar Association, former delegate, Board of Governors; COLTAF (Colorado Lawyer Trust Account Foundation), former board member; Aspen Historical Society, former board member and president; Mock trial programs (high school and elementary school) – volunteering as presiding judge.
In the survey of both attorneys and non-attorneys, Judge Boyd was consistently rated near or above the average score for district judges standing for retention in Colorado. The survey of attorneys had two scores that were lower than average involving the questions regarding promptness of rulings and decisions. A weighted caseload study conducted by the National Center for State Courts found that the Ninth Judicial District was understaffed by 2.55 judicial officers thus requiring each district judge to administer 60% above what is considered to be a full caseload. Judge Boyd also serves as Chief Judge of the Ninth Judicial District. This appointment by the Chief Justice of the Colorado Supreme Court entails additional administrative responsibilities including the management of 67 employees. Judge Boyd also serves as Water Judge for the District Court, Water Division No. 5. Responses from attorneys indicate significantly higher than average scores for three of the five categories that were addressed in the survey: overall application and knowledge of the law; overall communication; and overall demeanor. Judge Boyd also scored very high in the survey of appellate judges with a score of 3.91 on a 4.0 scale compared to an average of 3.68 for all district judges standing for retention in the state. Despite the additional work, the survey results included many comments from both attorneys and non-attorneys praising the clarity of Judge Boyd’s rulings as well as his fairness and patience.
Of all attorneys surveyed about retention, 89% recommended to retain, 6% not to retain, 5% were undecided or didn’t have enough information to make a recommendation. Of those expressing an opinion to retain or not retain, 94% recommended to retain and 6% not to retain. Of all non-attorneys surveyed, 85% recommended to retain, 9% not to retain, and 6% were undecided or didn’t have enough information to make a recommendation. Of those expressing an opinion to retain or not to retain, 91% recommended to retain and 10% not to retain. (These percentages may not total 100% due to rounding.)