Eighth Judicial District - District Court Judge
Honorable Julie Kunce Field
Retention Year: 2014
Recommendation: Meets Performance Standard
Reports:
2014 Retention Survey Report (PDF)
2013 Interim Survey Report (PDF)
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The Eighth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously recommends that Judge Julie Kunce Field BE RETAINED.
Judge Field was appointed to the District Court on January 11, 2011. Before her appointment, Judge Field served as a mediator and a national trainer on family law, litigation, and mediation issues. Judge Field also served as a law professor and law clinic director at the University of Michigan, Washburn Law School and the University of Denver College of Law. Before her teaching career, Judge Field was in private practice with the law firm Nutter, McClennen and Fish in Boston, Massachusetts. Judge Field is involved in a number of law-related community service tasks, including organizing the training and scheduling of the local “Our Courts” program.
The Commission conducted a personal interview with Judge Field, reviewed opinions she authored, observed her in court, heard comments from the District Attorney’s Office and reviewed surveys sent to attorneys and non-attorneys. When comparing the survey results of Judge Field with other Colorado District Judges, her scores are similar to the average of all other District Court Judges surveyed. In responding to the survey question “how strongly do you recommend that Judge Field be retained in office, or not be retained in office?” 79% of attorneys recommended retaining, 10% to not retain, and 10% made no recommendation. Of non-attorneys responding to the survey, 96% recommended retaining, 2% not to retain, and 2% made no recommendation. (These percentages may not total 100% due to rounding.)
Judge Field’s docket consists of 50% criminal cases, 40% civil cases and 10% domestic relations cases. Judge Field is excited to start a new specialized court beginning the second half of 2014, the “Wellness Court”, focusing on criminal defendants with mental health issues. Judge Field’s strength is in family law. She has experienced a learning curve with the criminal docket. She recognizes the need at times to be more time efficient in handling the criminal docket. Judge Field is motivated and uses the resources available to her from the Judicial Department to educate herself and improve efficiency. Judge Field is described as a good listener, thoughtful and is procedurally fair. The Commission was impressed by Judge Field’s interview. Her commitment to be a superior jurist was evident. When asked by the Commission what motivates her in her position, she responded, “Every day I ask myself, what can I do for the People of Colorado today?”