Second Judicial District - District Court Judge
Honorable Adam J. Espinosa
Retention Year: 2024
Recommendation: Meets Performance Standards
Reports:
2024 Retention Survey Report (PDF)
2023 Interim Survey Report (PDF)
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The Second Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously agrees by a vote of 9–0, with one Commissioner vacancy, that Judge Adam J. Espinosa 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 Espinosa currently presides over criminal matters in the Denver District Court. Judge Espinosa meets all aspects of the performance criteria on which he is evaluated. Judge Espinosa’s written decisions are clear, thorough, and well-reasoned. His notable strengths, observed by the Commission and described in survey responses, include having a respectful and calm demeanor, and his service to numerous court committees and educational efforts in the community. The Commission, based on its observation and analysis of survey responses, did not identify any evaluation category in which Judge Espinosa displayed a notable weakness as to the performance criteria. Judge Espinosa met the Court’s productivity benchmark for criminal courtrooms, completing 90% of cases within 12 months. The Commission met with the Chief Judge of Denver District Court to discuss challenges facing the court system and also met with the Denver District Attorney and a representative of the Denver Trial Office of the Colorado State Public Defender regarding Judge Espinosa’s performance.
The Commission conducted a personal interview with Judge Espinosa and observed him during court proceedings. It also reviewed opinions he authored, comments received from interested parties during the evaluation, recordings from his courtroom, case management data, and judicial performance survey responses from attorneys and non-attorneys who interacted with him. The surveys reflected personal opinions regarding Judge Espinosa in the categories of case management, application and knowledge of the law, communications, diligence, demeanor, and fairness. A total of 11 attorneys and 10 non-attorneys responded to the judicial performance surveys expressing their opinion of Judge Espinosa. The overall information and data reviewed supports the Commission’s recommendation that Judge Espinosa be retained.
Judge Espinosa was appointed to the Denver District Court in 2021. Previously, he served as a Denver County Court Judge, presiding over Civil, Municipal Criminal, and State Criminal Divisions. He is also an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Denver, Sturm College of Law. Prior to joining the bench, Judge Espinosa served as a senior trial attorney for the Colorado Supreme Court Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel and as a deputy district attorney in several Colorado counties. Judge Espinosa earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Kansas and his law degree from Washburn University. Judge Espinosa has served in leadership positions on numerous local, state, and national boards including the Denver Crime Prevention and Control Commission, the Colorado Supreme Court Access to Justice Commission, the Colorado Hispanic Bar Association, and the Denver Language School.