Fourth Judicial District - District Court Judge
Honorable Jill M. Brady
Retention Year: 2024
Recommendation: Meets Performance Standards
Reports:
2024 Retention Survey Report (PDF)
2021 Interim Survey Report (PDF)
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The Fourth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance voted 5-0 with five absences that Judge Jill M. Brady MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS.
District Court Judge Brady currently presides over a docket that is 50% criminal and 50% domestic relations. All 10 attorneys and 20 of 28 non-attorneys who completed surveys rated her as meeting judicial performance standards. The Commission notes that the response rate to surveys throughout the State of Colorado is near or below 3% and thus not statistically valid. An expert in domestic relations (DR), Judge Brady confidently handles her own docket and serves as a resource to other judges in the most complicated DR cases. She issues oral rulings at the conclusion of DR hearings about 90% of the time. Colorado Court of Appeals judges also gave Judge Brady very high marks (3.8 out of 4.0), with one judge remarking that she prepares “very thoughtful and thorough orders that are well-reasoned and legally sound.” In her nine years on the bench, Judge Brady has been appealed approximately 30 times and her decisions have been affirmed approximately 80% of the time.
The Commission personally interviewed Judge Brady, observed her in Court, reviewed judicial performance data, several of her written orders, judicial performance survey results, and written comments from attorneys and non-attorneys. It also met with the Chief Judge of the Fourth Judicial District and representatives of the District Attorney’s Office and the Public Defender’s Office. Judge Brady works very hard to issue orders in a timely manner and to manage her dockets efficiently, so matters do not languish in the court system. She has been described by many as “very smart,” “patient but in control,” “pleasant,” and “fair.” Others observe that she can be “a bit abrupt with attorneys and clients.” Since her last evaluation, Judge Brady has worked hard on her judicial temperament. Practitioners report that she has “rectified her demeanor issues of the past.” Judge Brady has made her financial disclosures and has no disciplinary history.
The Governor appointed Judge Brady to the District Court on July 1, 2015. Before her appointment, she was a child support and family law magistrate in El Paso County for about two years. Additional past work history includes working as a legal aid attorney in Colorado Springs; practicing antitrust, commercial and employment law; and completing a federal judicial clerkship. Judge Brady graduated with honors from the University of Michigan Law School. She currently serves by appointment of the Governor on the Judicial Discipline Commission and the Child Support Commission, extremely meaningful work that, according to one Court of Appeals judge, “substantially contributes to the improvement of the branch.” The Commission highly values Judge Brady.