Ninth Judicial District - Garfield County Court Judge
Honorable Stephen L. Carter
Retention Year: 2002
Recommendation: Retain
Reports:
The Ninth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance recommends that Judge Stephen L. Carter BE RETAINED.
Judge Carter was appointed as Associate County Judge for Garfield County in 1972 and has served continuously in that capacity for the past 30 years. He has also served as Acting District Judge for juvenile cases in the Ninth Judicial District since February 1, 1997. The Commission interviewed Judge Carter on April 19, 2002.
A public survey was randomly conducted among people that have been involved in the judicial system with Judge Carter. Thirty-one attorneys were surveyed of which 21 responded. The non-attorney survey responses included 52 law enforcement officers, 17 court employee responses, 19 defendant responses, 10 plaintiff responses, 91 juror responses, four victim responses and 18 other responses. Of the attorneys surveyed, 86% recommended retention and 14% recommended non-retention. Of the non-attorneys surveyed, 82% recommended retention, 10% recommended non-retention and 8% had no opinion.
Judge Carter’s compassion, sincerity and commitment to his role as a Juvenile Court Judge are very apparent. He stays in touch with the youth in the community by speaking to schools about the judicial system and referees soccer throughout the valley. The Commission strongly recommends retaining Judge Carter for another term.