Twentieth Judicial District - District Court Judge
Honorable Daniel C. Hale
Retention Year: 2004
Recommendation: Retain
Reports:
The Twentieth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance recommends that Judge Daniel C. Hale BE RETAINED.
The Commission conducted public hearings, observed courtroom conduct, interviewed Judge Hale, reviewed surveys, received public comments and reviewed the judge's self-evaluation in making this recommendation. The vote by the Commission to retain was unanimous.
Judge Hale was appointed as District Court Judge for Boulder County in 1996. Prior to his appointment, he was a Deputy District Attorney for three years and then in private practice for approximately 20 years. In his private practice he primarily represented defendants in criminal cases.
Judge Hale received very high approval ratings in all areas surveyed by both non-attorneys and attorneys. Attorneys recommended Judge Hale's retention by 96%. Only 1% recommended he not be retained in office. This is one of the highest attorney ratings seen by the Twentieth Judicial District Commission. Non-attorneys recommended retention at 86% with 9% recommending non-retention. This recommendation also was well above the state wide average for District Court Judges. Survey respondents gave him high approval in competence, integrity and judicial demeanor.
The Twentieth Judicial District has experienced an increasing caseload over the past several years. Unfortunately at the same time there have been staffing reductions and decreased resources available to process court cases as a result of significant state wide budget cuts. Despite these pressures, Judge Hale has managed to efficiently process this increased caseload while at the same time those who have appeared before him continue to feel that their cases have been carefully and fairly considered.