Eleventh Judicial District - Fremont County Court Judge
Honorable Norman Cooling
Retention Year: 2010
Recommendation: Retain
Reports:
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The Eleventh Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously recommends by a 10-0 vote that Judge Norman Cooling BE RETAINED.
Judge Cooling received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech with a minor in political science from Augustana College, Rock Island, Illinois in 1980. He attended University of Tulsa College of Law and received his Juris Doctorate in 1984. Judge Cooling is an active member of the Fremont County Bar Association, and volunteers his time with the Teen Court program.
After law school Judge Cooling clerked with the Harmsen & Argall firm in Montrose, Colorado working in the fields of criminal defense and worker's compensation. In 1985 he joined the Eleventh Judicial District's District Attorney's Office. As a Deputy District Attorney he prosecuted traffic, misdemeanor, juvenile delinquency, and felony cases in Fremont, Custer and Chaffee Counties until his appointment to the Fremont County Court bench in 2007.
The Commission notes that while Judge Cooling has been on the bench for only three years, he functions like a more experienced judge. Judge Cooling’s extensive experience as a Deputy District Attorney gives him exceptional courtroom skills, displaying good judicial temperament while running the busiest docket in this Judicial District. He strives to issue clear and thorough oral and written rulings that are fair and consistent. He acknowledges being unfamiliar with certain substantive areas of the law and has dedicated significant efforts to becoming knowledgeable and proficient in those areas. Judge Cooling is a hard-working judge who makes it his priority to give all parties a full and fair opportunity to be heard in his courtroom.
Of all attorneys surveyed about retention, 88% recommended to retain, 8% not to retain, and 4% expressed no opinion. Excluding those who had no opinion, 92% recommended to retain and 8% not to retain. Of all non-attorneys surveyed, 76% recommended to retain, 14% not to retain, and 11% expressed no opinion. Excluding those who had no opinion, 85% recommended to retain and 16% not to retain. (These percentages may not total 100% due to rounding.) The Judicial Performance Commission recommends retention.