Eighteenth Judicial District - District Court Judge
Honorable Nancy Artz Hopf
Retention Year: 2006
Recommendation: Retain
Reports:
2006 Retention Survey Report (PDF)
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The Eighteenth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously recommends that Judge Nancy Artz Hopf BE RETAINED.
Judge Hopf received her law degree from the University of Denver College of Law in 1977. She earned her undergraduate degree from Northwestern University in political science in 1970. Judge Hopf has actively participated in the Arapahoe County Bar Association where she currently serves as the Treasurer. She has devoted volunteer hours coordinating and running Mock Trial Competitions for local high school students and their teams, which progress to State and National finals. She has established herself as a leader in the Judicial Community in which she serves. This is Judge Hopf’s first review by the commission as a District Judge.
Judge Hopf was appointed District Judge in January 2003. Prior to that appointment, she served the State of Colorado as an Administrative Law Judge from January 1991. Her judicial service thus totals almost 16 years. Prior to becoming an Administrative Law Judge she was in private practice and served in the Colorado Attorney General’s Office. Her initial appointment to the bench was to a courtroom responsible for civil and criminal cases. Her current caseload consists of 60% felony criminal cases and 40% civil cases. Judge Hopf will also hear probate or mental health cases.
In surveys of non-attorneys, such as jurors, law enforcement officers, and court personnel, 97% recommended retention of Judge Hopf, 3% did not. She received excellent ratings for courtesy, impartiality, knowledge, and application of the law. She was also given excellent ratings for demeanor, fairness, communication skills, diligence, and knowledge of the law. The attorney surveys indicated 96% believe Judge Hopf should be retained, and 4% did not. Overall Judge Hopf received the highest scores of any judge in this district.
Representative comments were: That she practices the law as it should be done on a fair and unbiased basis for all parties: and that she performs with unusual accuracy, thoroughness, and effectiveness: and that we need more judges like her.
In reaching its recommendation, the commission heard from a number of stake holders, and public comments were solicited. Interviews were conducted with the District Attorney, the Chief Probation Officer, the Presiding Judge, the Clerk of the Court, the County Sheriff, the Deputy State Public Defender, and the Alternative Defense Counsel. Public, court staff, and attorney surveys were considered as well as interviews with the judge and consideration of the judge’s confidential self-review.
The commission finds that Judge Hopf is an excellent judge and recommends that she should be retained.