Eighth Judicial District - District Court Judge
Honorable Arnaud Newton
Retention Year: 1998
Recommendation: Retain
The Eighth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance recommends that Judge Arnaud Newton BE RETAINED. This decision was unanimous.
Judge Newton was appointed to the Larimer County District Court Bench in 1983. Prior to his appointment, from 1964 until 1983, he was in the private practice of law in Fort Collins, Colorado. He is a graduate of the University of Denver Law School.
Judge Newton primarily hears criminal, civil and mental health cases for the District.
An overwhelming majority of attorneys gave Judge Newton high marks for courtesy, fairness and courtroom demeanor. Non-attorney respondents indicated this judge to be fair, courteous, unbiased, patient and professional. He is credited with an excellent knowledge of the law and a strong desire to administer justice fairly and with compassion.
Over the 21 months ending March 31, 1998, Judge Newton heard 1824 cases. Of these, 15 were appealed with only 2 decisions overturned.
One of Judge Newton's goals is to improve the timeliness with which he is able to dispatch his docket. He is very aware of the importance of issuing decisions in a timely manner and has made significant improvement in this area since his last review.
Judge Newton is enthusiastic about his work and would like to eventually become a Senior Judge. He is considered a credit to his profession and an asset to the Bench.
The Judicial Review Commission personally interviewed each judge in the District whose term was nearing completion and who was seeking retention. Further, written evaluations were requested from a random sample of attorneys, court employees, law enforcement personnel, jurors, litigants, crime victims and other constituents who have been involved in proceedings in each judge's court. Surveys were designed and results compiled by an independent agency to provide confidentiality. Results from crime victims and litigants were deemed unreliable due to insufficient responses and were not considered by the Commission.
Recommendations from the written evaluations for Judge Newton are as follows: Attorneys: 95% - retain, 5% - no opinion, 0% - do not retain, Court Employees: 92% - retain, 8% - no opinion, 0% - do not retain, Law enforcement personnel: 100% - retain, 0% - no opinion, 0% - do not retain, Jurors: 96% - retain, 0% - no opinion, 4% - do not retain.