Eighteenth Judicial District - Elbert County Court Judge
Honorable Palmer L. Boyette
Retention Year: 2010
Recommendation: Retain
Reports:
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The Eighteenth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously recommends that Judge Palmer L. Boyette BE RETAINED.
Judge Boyette graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in History from Florida State University in 1986. He graduated from Florida State Law School in 1989. Judge Boyette became a Magistrate for the Denver Juvenile Court in February 2001. He was subsequently transferred to the Denver District Court, where he still serves part time as a Magistrate. Judge Boyette served as an Assistant City Attorney in Denver (2000 to 2001), a senior attorney in the Florida Department of Children and Families (1993 and 1996 to 1999), an associate in the Florida law firm of Batchelor and Vojak (1993 to 1996) and an Assistant Public Defender in Naples, Florida (1989 to 1993).
Judge Boyette was appointed to the bench in 2007. Judge Boyette now handles a very busy docket in Elbert County overseeing a mix of civil, criminal, misdemeanor, traffic infractions and small claims cases.
The Commission conducted extensive research in making this recommendation, including use of surveys conducted on the judge, interviews with people involved in the courtroom, and personal observations in the courtroom. In survey results among attorneys Judge Boyette was rated very high in demeanor, fairness, communication skills, diligence and the application of law. The overwhelming majority of comments from the surveys were very positive. He is highly regarded in the rural Elbert County community with high marks on explaining his sentences to the defendants.
Of all attorneys surveyed about retention, 95% recommended to retain, 5% not to retain, and 0% expressed no opinion. Of all non-attorneys surveyed, 79% recommended to retain, 12% not to retain, and 9% expressed no opinion. Excluding those who had no opinion, 86% recommended to retain and 13% not to retain. (These percentages may not total 100% due to rounding.)