Seventh Judicial District - District Court Judge
Honorable Jerry D. Lincoln
Retention Year: 1990
Recommendation: Retain
Judicial Performance Commission’s recommendation: Should Be Retained.
Judge Lincoln, 60, has been Chief District Judge of the Seventh Judicial District for the past 15 years. Prior to that, he was a Montrose County Court judge for one-and-a-half years. A 1963 graduate of the University of Denver Law School, he passed the Colorado Bar the same year. Before becoming a judge, he practiced law in Montrose and Fort Morgan. He was a Deputy District Attorney (1969-1970) in the Seventh Judicial District and was a Montrose City Attorney (1974-1975)
As Chief Judge, Lincoln functions as the administrator of the Seventh Judicial District. He also presides over District Court civil, criminal, domestic relations and probate cases. He sits primarily in Montrose but also handles some cases in Delta.
Lincoln says his strengths are in his experience on the bench and his commitment to fair results in all cases. His sentencing philosophy in criminal cases is partly derived from his strongly held attitude that people should be responsible for their actions. Where appropriate, he prefers to sentence to community corrections rather than to prison.
Of those responding to the various surveys, the majority recommended retaining Lincoln. Six trial attorneys of 21 responding did not recommend retention and two had no opinion. Some survey respondents said Lincoln had an unpredictable temperament or was impatient at times. Others commended him for his performance both on the bench and for his good working relationship with clerks and other staff members.
Lincoln acknowledges he has experienced some problems in maintaining an appropriate judicial temperament in the past, primarily because of impatience with the system, but he believes this problem is behind him, and with his extensive experience he can now deal approximately with any situation which may arise.
Professionally, he is a board member and past president of the Colorado District Court Judge’s Association, was a member of the Colorado Judicial Advisory Council and has participated on various other boards and committees.