Second Judicial District - Denver County Court Judge
Honorable Kelly C. Cherry
Retention Year: 2024
Recommendation: Meets Performance Standards
Reports:
2024 Retention Survey Report (PDF)
2023 Interim Survey Report (PDF)
Need an accessible PDF Document Version?
Please click on the link below and email our staff
The Denver County Court Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously agrees by a vote of 5-0 that Honorable Judge Kelly C. Cherry MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS. The Colorado statutory judicial performance criteria are integrity, legal knowledge, communication skills, judicial temperament, administrative performance, and service to the legal profession and the public.
Judge Cherry prioritizes fairness in her courtroom and works hard to ensure that participants understand the proceedings. In order to ensure that she is consistent with sentencing and similarly situated defendants receive similar penalties, she developed standard penalty guidelines as a starting point for each case, which she can modify based on extraordinary or mitigating facts. She is known for her ability to connect with people in her courtroom and for listening carefully and allowing parties time to speak. Judge Cherry works to keep up with changes in the law and to continually hone her judicial skillset. In 2023 alone, she attended multi-day trainings on evidence and on running an “Anti-Racist Courtroom,” both put on by the National Judicial College, as well as the two-day Colorado State Judicial College. In addition to courtroom duties, Judge Cherry works hard to improve the court itself. She oversees the 13 part-time magistrates and four full-time magistrates and developed the first formal oversight process for magistrates. She has worked recently to develop a competency court within Denver County Court, which will provide critical wraparound services to those in the criminal justice system who are struggling with competency issues. Previously, she revamped the traffic court to allow for virtual appearances, which improved both efficiency and access. Although Judge Cherry did not have experience in civil matters when she was appointed, she dedicated herself to learning quickly and consults regularly with fellow judges when novel legal topics arise. She understands the importance of community service and is actively seeking opportunities to expand her activities in that area.
In evaluating Judge Cherry, the commission used live, livestream and recorded courtroom observations, conducted a personal interview with the judicial officer, case management date and reviewed surveys from attorney and non-attorney courtroom participants, comments received from interested parties during the evaluation, and the judicial officer self-evaluation, with supporting documents when submitted, to inform its decision for meets/does not meet performance standards.
Judge Cherry was appointed to the Denver County Court in 2021. Prior to her appointment, she served as a Denver County Court magistrate, where she presided over criminal, municipal, juvenile and protection order cases. Judge Cherry graduated from the Metropolitan State College of Denver and earned her law degree from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law in 2008. After admission to the state bar, she entered private practice as a sole practitioner, with a focus on criminal defense cases. She was also a member of the Alternative Defense Counsel, representing indigent defendants in criminal cases.