Fifth Judicial District - Summit County Court Judge
Honorable Edward Jude Casias
Retention Year: 2008
Recommendation: Retain
Reports:
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The Fifth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously recommends that Judge Edward Jude Casias BE RETAINED.
Judge Casias is a Denver native who received his undergraduate degree from Colorado College in 1987 and his law degree from Ohio State University College of Law in 1990. Judge Casias was in private practice in Denver before serving as a deputy district attorney in the Fourth Judicial District, the Ninth Judicial District, and then as the assistant district attorney for Fifth Judicial District. He was appointed as a Summit County Court judge in 2001. Judge Casias is an active member of Summit County Optimists, St. Mary’s Parish, a board member of Summit Youth Baseball and Softball, a board member of the Summit County Community Care Clinic, a Mountain Mentor (Big Brother/Big Sister program in Summit County), and provides training for advocates for victims of assault. Judge Casias is also on numerous statewide committees within the judicial system.
The Commission reviewed written evaluations of Judge Casias from attorneys and non-attorneys, as well as a written self evaluation completed by Judge Casias. A personal interview of Judge Casias was conducted by the Commission, and members of the Commission observed Judge Casias in the courtroom during several proceedings. Additionally, the Commission reviewed written orders prepared by Judge Casias, as well as transcripts from oral rulings.
Judge Casias is held in high regard by the Commission, attorneys and non-attorneys that appear before him. He is a hard working judge who is mindful of his docket and treats all courtroom participants with respect and fairness. Judge Casias has a strong background in criminal law and both attorneys and non-attorneys that appear before him agree that he conducts criminal proceedings in a fair, consistent and efficient manner. In order to improve his performance,
Judge Casias continues to work on increasing his knowledge of civil law and upon preparing concise, well reasoned written rulings. Judge Casias is also well regarded for his communication skills, sound judicial demeanor and patience in the courtroom. Questionnaires received by the Commission from both attorneys and non-attorneys that have appeared in his courtroom uniformly rate Judge Casias high overall, and above average in the areas of fairness, demeanor, diligence and application of the law. Eighty-four percent of attorneys responding strongly recommend retention of Judge Casias, with 88% of responding non-attorneys sharing this strong recommendation.