Fourth Judicial District - District Court Judge
Honorable James M. Franklin
Retention Year: 1996
Recommendation: Retain
It is the opinion of the Fourth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance that Judge James M. Franklin should BE RETAINED.
Judge James M. Franklin has served on the District Court bench since 1987 where he has handled a general district court case load including criminal and civil cases. Prior to that time he served as a county court judge for El Paso County for approximately 3 years. A graduate of the University of California at Berkeley in 1969, Judge Franklin attended law school at the University of Pennsylvania where he earned a juris doctor in 1974. Before being named to the county court bench, Judge Franklin engaged in private practice and worked in the El Paso County District Attorney’s office.
Judge Franklin’s most critical evaluations came from attorneys, who vote to retain him by 66.7% with 8.3% expressing no opinion. Many believed that the judge’s docket management is inefficient and delays were insufficiently explained.
By and large, Judge Franklin received votes of confidence from the respondents. However, a significant number expressed concern over docket management and timeliness of decision.