Sixth Judicial District - La Plata County Court Judge
Honorable Martha Tinsley Minot
Retention Year: 2010
Recommendation: Retain
Reports:
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The Sixth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously recommends that Judge Martha Tinsley Minot BE RETAINED, with one Commissioner absent.
Judge Minot was appointed to the La Plata County Court for the Sixth Judicial District in March 1995. Prior to her appointment to the bench, Judge Minot was in private practice in Durango, Colorado specializing in domestic relations and served as part-time County Magistrate for La Plata County. Judge Minot received her undergraduate degree in 1979 from the University of Colorado (cum laude) and her law degree from the University of Colorado in 1983. Judge Minot presently hears 30% civil and 70% criminal cases. She has the largest filing and party caseload of any of the judges in the Sixth Judicial District.
As part of her judicial duties, Judge Minot supervises or participates in differing programs, including Drug Court for felony level drug offenders, the Day Reporting Program for driving under the influence by repeat offenders, the Mediation Referral Program and the Mothers Against Drunk Driving Victim Impact Panel. Judge Minot is particularly proud of the work of her Drug Court and has received many compliments from participants, victims and their families. In addition to her busy judicial schedule, Judge Minot makes a concerted effort to be involved in her community through volunteer service. She volunteers several hours a month to serve on law-related community service programs, such as the Criminal Justice Coordination Committee, the Drug Court Advisory Committee, the Colorado Supreme Court’s Planning and Analysis Committee, and the Judicial Discipline Committee. She has donated her time to train members of the La Plata County Citizen’s Academy and to make presentations at Restorative Justice Conferences. Judge Minot also makes time to provide community service that is not law-related. Judge Minot has made herself available for assisting other county judges in the area.
The Commission reviewed court generated statistics, surveys from both attorneys and non-attorneys, and a written self-evaluation completed by Judge Minot. Commission members also observed Judge Minot in her courtroom so that they could evaluate how she interacted with the parties, witnesses and lawyers. Those observations confirmed that Judge Minot has good control of her courtroom and displays excellent court room demeanor. Public notice of written commentary was published in the newspapers in the judicial district.
Judge Minot received scores that were comparable to all county and trial judges in the state in almost all categories, with 74% of attorneys and 80% of non-attorneys recommending retention. She handles a difficult, high volume docket with efficiency and competence while maintaining integrity and fairness in her decisions. Due to recent budget cuts, Judge Minot now types all of her rulings on motions, sentencing orders, minute entries and written correspondence. The La Plata County Court is well served by Judge Martha Tinsley Minot.