Seventh Judicial District - Gunnison County Court Judge
Honorable Ben F. Eden
Retention Year: 2000
Recommendation: Retain
The Seventh Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance recommends that Judge Ben F. Eden BE RETAINED.
Judge Eden was appointed as County Court Judge in April of 1997. Prior to this appointment he served in Gunnison as Deputy District Attorney for the 7th Judicial District from 1989 to 1997. A Gunnison native, Judge Eden earned a BA from Western State College in 1980 and an MBA from Western in 1981. He attended the University of Colorado law school earning his law degree in 1986. He has practiced law in Gunnison County since that time. While Judge Eden's position is defined by the state as a part-time appointment, he devotes full-time to his judicial duties. He has developed a very detailed system for managing a very full docket. His case workload over the past two years has consisted of 85% criminal cases (including traffic infractions) and 15% civil cases.
The evaluation data for Judge Eden (surveys of persons appearing in his court, self-evaluation, interview and public hearing) provide evidence that Judge Eden is very hard working, serious about his role on the bench and is a good listener. Survey responses from non-attorneys indicated 62% of the respondents were in favor of his retention, 27% favored non-retention and 10% had no opinion. Survey responses of attorneys indicated 89% of respondents in favor of retention, 5% non-retention and 5% no opinion. All persons who spoke at a public hearing on Judge Eden's performance made favorable comments about Judge Eden.
The Judicial Performance Commission is impressed with Judge Eden's commitment to his duties, his efforts to be fair, and to provide a speedy trial. The Commission is convinced that he really enjoys working to maintain and improve the functions of his court.
The Judicial Performance Commission of the Seventh Judicial District recommends that Gunnison County Court Judge Ben F. Eden BE RETAINED.