Second Judicial District - District Court Judge
Honorable R. Michael Mullins
Retention Year: 2006
Recommendation: Retain
Reports:
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The Second Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously recommends that Judge R. Michael Mullins BE RETAINED.
Judge Mullins was appointed to the Denver District Court bench in November 1990. Prior to his appointment, Judge Mullins practiced in the Denver Trial Office of the Colorado State Public Defender and served in both the Litigation Section of the Colorado Attorney General's Office and the Division of Hearing Officers. He also spent several years in private practice specializing in worker's compensation, criminal and administrative law. Judge Mullins received his undergraduate degree in aerospace engineering from St. Louis University and his law degree from the University of Colorado Law School in 1975. During the past two years Judge Mullins has presided over both civil and criminal cases.
The Commission reviewed written evaluations of Judge Mullins from attorneys and non-attorneys, a written self-evaluation, and conducted an interview with Judge Mullins.
Jurors are a priority for Judge Mullins. He believes that teaching them the process and explaining what he does are critically important to preserving our judicial system. He believes the if he has “approached every case impartially and render(ed) a fair decision,” he has done his job.
Judge Mullins received good ratings from attorneys and high ratings from non-attorneys. He received exceptionally high ratings from all in the areas of treating everyone involved politely and with respect. While in previous years Judge Mullins' ratings in the areas of written and verbal communication were somewhat lower than his ratings in other areas, during this evaluation period his ability to provide written communications that are clear, thorough and well-reasoned was in line with other judges and making sure all participants understand the proceedings was higher than most. Of the 20 attorneys responding to the questionnaire, 95% recommended that Judge Mullins be retained in office. Of the 43 non-attorneys responding to the questionnaire, 98% recommended retention—percentages that are significantly higher than during the last evaluation period.