Ninth Judicial District - Garfield County Court Judge
Honorable Steven L. Carter
Retention Year: 1994
Recommendation: Retain
Judge Carter was appointed to the County Court bench in Rifle in 1972. He was served for 22 years. This is a part-time position. Previously he was a deputy district attorney. He has a law practice in Rifle. His cases are chiefly traffic, criminal and some civil.
Of the many persons who have been in his courtroom, only a few have responded to the questionnaire. Of the 15 litigants returning evaluations, the answers to such questions as “displays a sense of justice” and “courteous” and “retain – do not retain” tend to be roughly 60-40 in his favor. Demeanor, impartiality and punctuality rate higher.
Of the 16 attorneys returning evaluations, the answers were more favorable to Judge Carter, and the evaluations returned represented a larger portion of persons with experience before him. Seventy-five percent of more were favorable in most categories with higher scores on promptness of rulings and decisions, on maintaining courtroom control, and sentencing upon relevant factors and fair sentencing, with a lower score on courtesy.
The Ninth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance recommends that Judge Stephen L. Carter BE RETAINED.