Seventeenth Judicial District - Adams County Court Judge
Honorable Leroy D. Kirby
Retention Year: 2016
Recommendation: Meets Performance Standard
Reports:
2016 Retention Survey Report (PDF)
2015 Interim Survey Report (PDF)
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The Seventeenth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously recommends by a vote of 9-0 that Judge Leroy D. Kirby BE RETAINED.
Judge Kirby was appointed as a County Court judge in Adams County on May 9, 2009, and took the bench in July, 2009. Judge Kirby received his undergraduate degree from Regis University. He then be-came a Naval Officer and continued on active duty until 1992. He retired a Commander in the Navy Re-serves after 25 years of service. Judge Kirby graduated from the University of Denver School of Law and was licensed in 1995. He was a Deputy Public Defender for the State of Colorado until his appointment as a Magistrate in 2007. Judge Kirby has actively pursued the development of the first drug court program in Adams County. He was awarded County Court Judge of the Year in 2013 by the Colorado Judicial Institute and was awarded the first award of Civility in Practice by the Adams Broomfield Bar Association in 2015.
The evaluation methods used by the commission included a review of legal opinions authored by Judge Kirby, a personal interview by the commission, in-court observations by commission members, and a review of Judge Kirby’s Self Evaluation. Surveys distributed to both attorneys and non-attorneys, associated with cases brought before the judge, provided statistics that were integral in assessing Judge Kirby’s effectiveness. Among the survey questions was “How strongly do you recommend that Judge Kirby be retained in office, or not be retained in office?” Of attorneys completing the survey, 86% recommended retention, 10% not to retain, and 5% made no recommendation. 93% of responding non-attorneys recommended retention, 2% recommended non-retention and 5% had no recommendation. (These percentages may not total 100% due to rounding).
In general, the Judge enjoys a strong approval rating by those he’s interacted with in his courtroom over this past term. 45% of Judge Kirby’s cases are civil cases, 15% are criminal, 20% misdemeanor and 20% traffic. Judge Kirby received ratings from both attorneys and non-attorneys that are slightly higher than average for all county court judges standing for retention in 2016. During his interview, Judge Kirby gave recognition to the highly successful drug court he was instrumental in starting in Adams County and continues to run today. He received high marks for his case management abilities, communications skills, fairness, and courtroom demeanor. Based on its review of post-case surveys, courtroom observations, several of Judge Kirby’ decisions, and interview of Judge Kirby, the Commission unanimously recommends that Judge Leroy Kirby BE RETAINED.