Eighteenth Judicial District - District Court Judge
Honorable Jeffrey K. Holmes
Retention Year: 2010
Recommendation: Retain
Reports:
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The Eighteenth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously recommends that Judge Jeffrey K. Holmes BE RETAINED.
Judge Holmes attended Southern Methodist University as an undergraduate and the University of Texas for law school. Upon graduation he was in private practice for approximately 17 years.
After leaving private practice, Judge Holmes worked as a District Court Magistrate for the Eighteenth Judicial District for ten years, primarily handling juvenile matters. In June of 2007, he was appointed District Court Judge. He currently spends three-quarters of his time in Elbert County and one-quarter of his time in Douglas County.
The Commission reviewed written evaluations of Judge Holmes from attorneys and non-attorneys, a written self-evaluation completed by Judge Holmes, and a sampling of written opinions issued by Judge Holmes. A personal interview of Judge Holmes was conducted by the Commission, and members of the Commission observed Judge Holmes in the courtroom during several proceedings. The Commission is impressed with Judge Holmes’ concise legal analysis as evidenced in his written orders and appreciates his attempt to use language that makes the legal reasoning easier to comprehend. Questionnaires received by the Commission from attorneys appearing in his courtroom uniformly rate Judge Holmes above average in all categories, especially in the category of demeanor and the sub-category of issuing consistent sentences when circumstances are similar.
Of all attorneys surveyed about retention, 93% recommended to retain, 6% not to retain, and 3% expressed no opinion. Excluding those who had no opinion, 95% recommended to retain and 6% not to retain. Of all non-attorneys surveyed, 81% recommended to retain,
11% not to retain, and 9% expressed no opinion. Excluding those who had no opinion, 88% recommended to retain and 12% not to retain. (These percentages may not total 100% due to rounding.)