Mares, Cynthia 2020 Evaluation

Reports:
2020 Retention Survey Report

The Eighteenth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously agrees by a vote of 8-0, with one Commissioner absent from voting and one recusal, that Judge Cynthia Dianne Mares MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS.

Judge Mares presides over a domestic relations docket in Arapahoe County, after handling a difficult docket divided between Lincoln County and Douglas County.   It was mentioned several times that this change presents a very steep learning curve, and the Commission strongly encourages her to continue to take advantage of resources available to her, especially in the areas of domestic relations law and case management.   Judge Mares’ demeanor has been described as pleasant, respectful, and fair, and she is a hard -working judge.  After considering all factors, the Commissioners were encouraged and believe that her survey scores will improve.  Therefore, the Commission unanimously agreed that Judge Mares meets performance standards.  

The Commission conducted interviews with Public Defenders, District Attorneys, the Probation Department, the Chief Judge, and Judge Mares herself.  They also reviewed opinions she authored, observed her in court, and examined judicial performance survey responses by attorneys and non-attorneys who interacted with the judge.  Among the survey questions was “based on your responses to the previous questions related to the performance evaluation criteria, do you think Judge Mares meets judicial performance standards?”  Of the attorneys who responded to the survey, 56% answered yes.   Of the non-attorneys who responded, 67% answered yes.   A total of 54 attorneys and 3 non-attorneys responded.

Cynthia D. Mares, Esq, a Denver native, holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Colorado.  She received her juris doctorate degree from the University of Denver in 1989.  She was appointed as an Arapahoe County Public Trustee on October 26, 2012 and as a District Court Judge in January, 2018.  She is an active member of various Bar Associations, including the Sam Cary Bar Association and Colorado Hispanic Bar Association (past President) and the National Hispanic Bar Association.  She is also on the Board of Directors for the Women’s Leadership Foundation, where she Co-chairs their “Latinas on the Board” committee.  Judge Mares is also a governance fellow with the National Association of Corporate Directors and a 2018 graduate of the Colorado Women’s Foundation Board Bound program.  Judge Mares is an author, having written on the issue of privacy, security and civil rights and continues her education, including programs at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, Colorado’s National Cybersecurity Center and world-wide programs hosted by the Sedona Conference.  Judge Mares is also a long-time mentor to five young ladies who are either in college, law school or are now young lawyers.