Fox, William 2004 Evaluation

Reports:

2004 Retention Survey Report 

The Eleventh Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously recommends that Judge William G. 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.

Surveys for evaluation of Judge Fox were completed by attorneys who have practiced in his court. Non-Attorney surveys were completed by defendants, plaintiffs, law enforcement, employees, jurors, and victims. The responses to the surveys rated Judge Fox highly overall. Attorney participants surveyed strongly recommended that Judge Fox be retained by a percentage well above the statewide average for other county court judges. Although non-attorney participants surveyed were less positive, non-attorneys recommended that Judge Fox be retained at the rate of 72%, just slightly below the statewide average for non-attorneys.

Based upon information supplied to the Commission through surveys, public hearings, a personal interview with Judge Fox, and courtroom observations, the Commission feels that Judge Fox should be commended for his continuing legal education for himself, the legal community and the public, for his initiative in developing procedures to make justice more efficient and for his willingness to remedy the concerns reflected by non-attorneys concerning his ability to communicate. Judge Fox is aware of his ethical duties and works to avoid any appearance of impropriety.

Judge Fox is active in community affairs as evidenced by his involvement in the DARE Program, by training Russian police, prosecutors and judges on domestic violence cases and restraining orders in the Cañon City/Valdai (Russia) Sister City Association, and by teaching the Judicial program for the Leadership Conference of the Cañon City Chamber of Commerce.

Judge Fox respects his role as judge and is committed to being a member of the judiciary by showing initiative, as evidenced by the work he has done to establish County Court Directives governing procedures in his court which are available to all parties and attorneys; being the first judge in Colorado to provide Attorney Mediators for the Small Claims Courts; receiving one of three Colorado scholarships to attend the Scientific Evidence and Expert Testimony program at the National Judicial College in 2002; and developing procedures for handling inmate civil cases which have been copied by courts in other Colorado counties which have state prisons and inmate litigation.