Fourth Judicial District - El Paso County Judge
Honorable Douglas J. Miles
Retention Year: 2018
Recommendation: Meets Performance Standard
The Fourth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously (6-0) agrees that Judge Douglas J. Miles MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS.
Judge Miles was appointed to the El Paso County Court on September 13, 2010. Prior to his appointment, Judge Miles served as Chief Deputy District Attorney with the Fourth Judicial District Attorneys’ Office. He was also the Western Region Attorney Advisor for Aequitas, where he provided counsel on trial strategy, legal analysis and policy, and ethical issues related to violence against women at the local, state, and national level. Judge Miles received his undergraduate degree in Education from the University of Arizona and his law degree from the University of Colorado in 1984. Prior to going to law school, Judge Miles was a teacher.
The Commission conducted a personal interview with Judge Miles, reviewed samples of written opinions, observed him in court, heard commentary from interested parties and reviewed survey responses from attorneys and non-attorneys. Of 43 qualified survey respondents (9 attorneys and 34 non-attorneys) who said they had worked with Judge Miles enough to evaluate his performance, 86% said he meets performance standards. It should be noted that the overall response rates among attorneys and non-attorneys for Judge Miles were 18% and 7% respectively. Survey return rates were obviously low; however, themes that emerged from the narrative responses and other commentary heard by the Commission were that Judge Miles is smart, fair, thoughtful and compassionate.
Judge Miles is considered by some to be a mentor for young attorneys. He utilizes his background as a teacher to talk with people, especially defendants and those representing themselves, to ensure that they understand the proceedings and outcomes. Judge Miles references elements of attorneys’ positions on issues when making a ruling so that everyone understands the strengths and weaknesses of the arguments on which he is basing his decision. There was a concern expressed that Judge Miles does not begin court promptly or proceed with his docket as efficiently as he could. At the interview, Judge Miles pledged to work on these issues. Judge Miles presides over civil, criminal, misdemeanor and traffic matters. Based on the Commission’s overall evaluation, the Commission concludes that Judge Miles meets performance standards in all categories.