Lama, Ramsey 2018 Evaluation

Reports:
2018 Retention Survey Report
2017 Interim Survey Report

The Eleventh Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance voted 8-0 with 1 abstention that Judge Ramsey Lama MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS.

Judge Lama was appointed District Judge for the 11th Judicial District in January, 2016. Prior to appointment, Judge Lama was an attorney whose practice focused on criminal defense. Prior to forming his own firm, Judge Lama worked for the Office of the Colorado State Public Defender in its Salida and Grand Junction offices. Judge Lama received an undergraduate degree from Aquinas College in 2004 and his law degree from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law in 2008.
 
The Commission conducted a personal interview with Judge Lama, reviewed opinions he authored, observed him in court, reviewed comments received from interested parties during the evaluation, and reviewed survey responses from attorneys and non-attorneys who know Judge Lama in his capacity as District Judge. A total of 19 attorneys, two appellate judges, and 42 non-attorneys responded to the performance surveys expressing their opinion of Judge Lama’s performance. Among the survey questions was, “Do you think Judge Lama meets judicial performance standards?”  Of the attorneys responding to the survey, 84% answered yes, Judge Lama meets performance standards, 11% answered no, he does not meet performance standards and 5% had no opinion. Of the non-attorneys responding to the same question, 95% answered yes, Judge Lama meets performance standards, with only 2% responding no, he does not meet the performance standards, and 2% had no opinion (these numbers do not equal 100% due to rounding).
 
Judge Lama has presided over criminal, civil, domestic relations, juvenile adoptions, juvenile delinquency, juvenile neglect, and other juvenile cases. The majority of his docket is criminal cases. Based on the Commission’s overall evaluation, Judge Lama demonstrated he meets or exceeds performance standards in all categories. Non-attorneys responding to the survey rated Judge Lama more favorably than attorneys in all categories except for one, which was “communications,” where the attorneys rated Judge Lama slightly more favorably than the non-attorneys. Based on the survey results from attorneys, Judge Lama scored more favorably when compared to other District Judges in 21 out of 22 categories.  Judge Lama consistently received high marks in all categories. During courtroom observations, the Commission found Judge Lama to be well prepared and fair. Furthermore, he has managed his docket well. Judge Lama indicated to the Commission that he has grown both personally and professionally during his tenure as a District Judge. In discussing certain survey weaknesses in the civil law, Judge Lama indicated to the Commission he is becoming more familiar with the rules and law governing civil cases and he noted that he is getting more comfortable in this area.  He stated that he has attended several training events during his tenure and noted that “to know it, you have to do it.” Based on these findings the Commission agreed that Judge Lama meets performance standards.