Eleventh Judicial District - Fremont County Court Judge
Honorable William Gobin Fox
Retention Year: 2000
Recommendation: Retain
The Eleventh Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance recommends that Judge William Gobin Fox BE RETAINED.
Judge Fox was appointed to the County Court bench in Fremont County in 1986 and currently hears criminal (including felony and misdemeanor), traffic, traffic infractions, domestic relations and civil cases.
Questionnaires for evaluation of Judge Fox were sent to attorneys who have practiced in his court, court/probation employees, litigants and crime victims who have appeared in front of him, jurors who have served as jurors in his court, and law enforcement personnel who have appeared in his court. The responses to the questionnaires rated Judge Fox highly overall. Those persons who responded to the questionnaires made the following recommendations concerning retention of Judge Fox: Attorneys (23 responses) Retain - 83%, No Opinion - 9%, Do Not Retain - 9%; Court/Probation (18 responses) Retain - 89%, No Opinion - 6%, Do Not Retain - 6%; Litigants (26 responses) Retain - 65%, No Opinion - 8%, Do Not Retain - 27%; Jurors (4 responses) Retain - 75%, No Opinion - 25%, Do Not Retain - 0%; Law Enforcement (22 responses) Retain - 91%, No Opinion - O%, Do Not Retain - 9%; Crime Victims (11 responses) Retain - 64%, No Opinion - 0%, Do Not Retain - 36%.
Based upon information supplied to the commission through the questionnaires, public hearings and a personal interview with Judge Fox, the commission feels that Judge Fox has done an exceptional job in managing the Fremont County Court case load. Judge Fox is very efficient, and coordinates well with courthouse personnel. He established County Court Directives governing procedures in his court, which are available to all parties and attorneys. As indicated by his longevity on the County Court bench, he finds his job interesting, challenging and is comfortable in his work. He has a serious commitment to the judicial system as evidenced by his recent trip to Russia with a team educating persons in that country as to policies and laws on domestic violence in the United States. Judge Fox was recently appointed by the Chief Judge as the judicial representative on the Judge-Attorney Liaison Committee to enhance communications between the judiciary and the attorneys in the Fremont-Custer County Bar Association. Information reviewed by the commission indicates Judge Fox is fair, impartial and knowledgeable in the law and rules of evidence.