Sixteenth Judicial District - Bent County Court Judge
Honorable Mark A. MacDonnell
Retention Year: 1996
Recommendation: Retain
The 16th Judicial District Commission recommends is that Judge Mark MacDonnell BE RETAINED.
Judge MacDonnell was appointed to the Bent County Court bench in 1993 at the age of 32. The caseload of the County Court is comprised of approximately 90% criminal matters and 10% civil matters. Since the appointment of Judge MacDonnell, the number of County Court cases has nearly doubled from approximately 500 to 900 cases annually.
Questionnaires completed by law enforcement officials and litigants were received by the Commission and rate Judge MacDonnell highly overall. Of the 10 responses received, 80% voted to retain Judge MacDonnell, 10% had no opinion, and 10% voted not to retain Judge MacDonnell.
Judge MacDonnell was interviewed by the Judicial Performance Commission as part of the evaluation. He acknowledged that he was appointed to the bench at a young age and continues to grow and learn in the position. Judge MacDonnell believes that his strengths are maintaining an open mind and managing an ever increasing work load.