Mallard, D. D. 2012 Evaluation

Reports:

2012 Retention Survey Report (PDF)

2011 Interim Survey Report (PDF)

2009 Interim Survey Report (PDF)

Need an accessible PDF Document version?

Please click on the link below and email our staff

Contact Us

The Twentieth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance recommends, by a unanimous vote of 10-0, that Judge D. D. Mallard BE RETAINED.

Judge Mallard is a 1989 graduate of the University of the Colorado School of Law. She spent two years in private practice, followed by thirteen years in the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office. At the time of her appointment to the bench in 2004, she was serving as the Chief Trial Deputy in the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office. Judge Mallard has had extensive experience with civil and domestic as well as criminal cases.

The Commission’s recommendation is based upon survey results, courtroom observations by commission members, public input, commissioners’ reviews of some of the judge’s written legal opinions, Judge Mallard’s self-evaluation, and a personal interview with the judge. The interview with Judge Mallard revealed her to be a compassionate and personable individual, who puts a great deal of thought and effort into being fair and impartial in court, in providing well-reasoned written rulings and who finds her work interesting and rewarding. She shows considerable compassion and understanding with respect to the problems of people with psychiatric disabilities. Courtroom observations of Judge Mallard reveal her to be compassionate and attentive to all parties and to possess an appropriately neutral judicial demeanor. Some observers found her demeanor to be somewhat impassive. It was noted that the judge does not always control irrelevant noise in the courtroom or project her voice adequately to allow all observers to hear the proceedings without difficulty. The judge was very responsive to the commissioners’ suggestions concerning these minor problems. Attorneys who were surveyed rated Judge Mallard equal in her overall knowledge of the law to other district judges standing for retention in the state and that her willingness to reconsider errors of fact or law had improved to a superior level since her prior evaluation in 2006. Attorneys rated her overall communication skills as being superior and her courtroom demeanor as being slightly below average. At the public hearing, two attorneys spoke positively of Judge Mallard’s judicial performance.

The survey report is based on written evaluations from lawyers, litigants, witnesses, and others appearing before Judge Mallard. Of all attorneys surveyed about retention, 80% recommended to retain, 12% not to retain, and 8% were undecided or didn’t have enough information to make a recommendation. Of those expressing an opinion to retain or not to retain, 87% recommended to retain and 13% not to retain. Of all non-attorneys surveyed, 86% recommended to retain, 10% not to retain, and 4% were undecided or didn’t have enough information to make recommendation. Of those expressing an opinion to retain or not to retain, 90% recommended to retain and 10% not to retain.