Fourth Judicial District - El Paso County Court Judge
Honorable Lawrence D. Martin
Retention Year: 2006
Recommendation: Retain
Reports:
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The Fourth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance, by a unanimous vote of 10 to 0 from all members, recommends that Judge Lawrence D. Martin BE RETAINED.
Prior to his appointment to the County Court bench in August 1996, Judge Martin was in private practice specializing in DUI, traffic and domestic cases. He was appointed Family Law Magistrate for the Fourth Judicial District in 1990. Since his appointment to County Court, Judge Martin has presided over civil, traffic and misdemeanor cases. In March 1998, Judge Martin was appointed the presiding County Court Judge. His assigned workload consists of misdemeanor, civil, traffic and felony cases.
Judge Martin takes time to discuss and settle cases, and he always strives to provide constructive criticism to new lawyers. Judge Martin is careful to remain impartial during trials and hearings and is considered an impartial and fair judge. He believes settlement activities and mediation prior to trial significantly improve the outcome for all parties.
Judge Martin contributes the community as head coach the Coronado High School JV Mock Trial team.
The Commission considered 89 written evaluations from attorneys and non-attorneys, including written verbatim comments attached to the questionnaires. The Commission also considered a written self-evaluation completed by Judge Martin, performed a courtroom observation and conducted a personal interview with him.
Judge Martin received above-average ratings from attorneys and non-attorneys in most categories, including being unbiased; treating all persons equally; maintaining a professional demeanor; communicating verbally in a clear, thorough and well-reasoned manner; explaining court procedures clearly and thoroughly; having a relevant substantive knowledge of the law; assisting parties to reach agreement; and being prepared for all court matters. Of the attorneys responding to the survey, 80% strongly recommended Judge Martin be retained and 20% somewhat recommended retention. Of the non-attorney responses, 88% recommended he be retained, 4% recommended he somewhat not be retained and 8% strongly recommend he not be retained.