Twentieth Judicial District - District Court Judge
Honorable D. D. Mallard
Retention Year: 2006
Recommendation: Retain
Reports:
2006 Retention Survey Report (PDF)
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The Twentieth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance recommends that Judge D. D. Mallard BE RETAINED. The vote was 9 in favor of retention with the other member absent. This recommendation is based on written evaluations from lawyers, litigants, witnesses and others appearing before Judge Mallard, courtroom observations of the Judge by commission members, public input, Judge Mallard’s self-evaluation and a personal interview of the Judge.
Judge Mallard was appointed to the Boulder District Court in 2004. She is a 1989 graduate of the University of Colorado School of Law. Prior to her appointment she spent two years in private practice and then thirteen years in the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office. At the time of her appointment she was serving as the Chief Trial Deputy in the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office. Since her appointment, Judge Mallard has presided almost exclusively over civil cases.
Courtroom observation of Judge Mallard revealed her to possess a good judicial demeanor and to be considerate and professional with both attorneys and non-attorneys.
Statistics in the surveys provided by the Judicial Department indicate that Judge Mallard attained an overall rating that was equal to the average of all other trial judges in the state. Attorneys who evaluated Judge Mallard rated her slightly below average in her overall knowledge of the law and less willing to reconsider errors of fact or law. Given that Judge Mallard spent almost her entire career handling criminal matters, it is understandable that she would be somewhat weaker in her overall knowledge of civil law. The Commission is convinced that Judge Mallard’s overall knowledge of civil law will improve over time. She is gaining more experience and has been highly motivated to increase her knowledge base through study. Judge Mallard also expressed her plan to be more vigilant and sensitive to improving on giving fair hearing to requests for reconsideration of her rulings. The Commission believes that neither of these issues will be a problem in the future.
The interview of Judge Mallard revealed her to be a considerate and cordial person, who puts a great deal of thought and effort into being fair and impartial in court and in providing well reasoned written rulings. As Judge Mallard begins presiding over a criminal docket this year, she expressed her view that pubic safety will be given the highest priority.
The results of the surveys support the retention of Judge Mallard, with 82% of the lawyers and 82% of the non-lawyers “strongly” or “somewhat” recommending that Judge Mallard be retained in office.