Fourth Judicial District - El Paso County Court Judge
Honorable Steven Katzman
Retention Year: 2024
Recommendation: Meets Performance Standards
Reports:
2024 Retention Survey Report (PDF)
2023 Interim Survey Report (PDF)
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The Fourth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance voted 7-0 with three absent that Judge Steven Katzman MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS.
Judge Katzman has performed efficiently as a county court judge, based upon a review of his caseload, survey and interviews. Judge Katzman manages a docket made up of 50 percent misdemeanor, 43 percent traffic and seven percent criminal. Judge Katzman presides over the domestic violence court that seeks to effect long term behavioral and attitudinal changes in DV perpetrators. He believes that the court is very effective. He has presided over 34 jury trials in 2023, the most in the 4th Judicial District. Judge Katzman also fills in on occasion for District Court felony cases. He manages his caseload well, with the third fewest open cases in the district. Judge Katzman often makes complex judicial rulings from the bench demonstrating his understanding of statutes and case law. Judge Katzman has filed all required financial disclosures and has no record of judicial discipline.
The Commission reviewed Judge Katzman’s performance by observation in court, reading samples of written orders, reviewing his self-evaluation and surveys submitted by attorneys and non-attorneys. The Commission also interviewed the Chief Judge, District Attorney and Chief Public Defender, and conducted an in-person interview with the judge. Judge Katzman’s overall combined score on the 2024 Judicial Performance Survey was 2.8 out of 4.0. With only 28 total survey respondents (less than 3%), the Commission found the survey responses to be less valuable and not statistically relevant. Thus, the Commission relied heavily upon comments, interviews and actual observations of Judge Katzman in the courtroom in reviewing his performance. Judge Katzman was asked about some comments about being short or abrupt in his rulings and he acknowledged that he could see how his efforts to keep cases moving forward could be perceived as biased towards one side or the other. A majority of the 28 respondents who did participate stated that Judge Katzman meets performance standards. Some positive comments included that he runs an efficient docket, makes sure to fully explain his rulings so everyone understands the legal basis for them, that he is poised and demonstrates understanding of the law.
Steven Katzman was appointed to the El Paso County Court on May 7, 2021. He graduated from the University of Colorado in Boulder. He received his J.D. from the Northwestern School of Law of the Lewis and Clark College in 1978. After graduating law school, he practiced in the Denver area for 25 years and, from 2007 until his appointment, as a partner in a small Colorado Springs law firm. He practiced in the areas of family and criminal law. Judge Katzman served as an Associate Judge of the Littleton Municipal Court for 32 years. He was elected President of the Colorado Municipal Judges Association, currently serves as president of the Ben S. Wendelken Inn of Court, as a member of the CBA Our Courts committee and as a judge for Teen Court and college and high school mock trial competitions.