Sixth Judicial District - La Plata County Court Judge
Honorable Martha Tinsley Minot
Retention Year: 1998
Recommendation: Retain
The Sixth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance recommends that Judge Martha Tinsley Minot BE RETAINED.
Judge Minot was appointed to the La Plata County Court bench in March 1995. Prior to her appointment, she served as a part-time County Court Magistrate and was in private practice in Durango, Colorado.
Judge Minot enjoys the fast paced schedule which is a fact of life in County Court. Although she is required to work an occasional weekend to keep up, she is perceived to complete the work required in the court diligently and on schedule.
95.8% of attorneys surveyed by the Commission recommended that Judge Minot be retained; and non-attorney responses also uniformly recommended retention. Comments were favorable regarding the general perception of fairness and equity. Judge Minot received particularly high marks concerning her efforts to ensure that persons unrepresented by counsel receive a fair hearing.
Judge Minot is a good listener and will implement suggestions from others whose ideas will improve the system. Among Judge Minot's most important goals are her hopes that alcohol treatment and domestic violence counseling programs can be instituted in jail to reduce the number of re-offenders in the District. She also is hoping to set up victim impact panels to improve communication between offenders and victims and to make offenders aware of the personal impact of their actions.
Judge Minot is on the Board of Directors of the Adult Education Center and she is active in the local school system in familiarizing students with the court system by means of mock trials and other learning experiences.