Henson, Marcus 2022 Evaluation

Reports:

2022 Retention Survey Report

2021 Interim Survey Report

The Fourth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously agrees by a vote of 5-0 (with one recusal and 4 absent) that Judge Marcus S. Henson MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS. The Colorado statutory judicial performance standards are integrity, legal knowledge, communication skills, judicial temperament, administrative performance, and service to the legal profession and the public.

Judge Marcus Henson presides over Criminal and Domestic Relations cases in El Paso County, Colorado. His Criminal docket replaced a Civil docket beginning in January 2021. His courtroom demeanor is described as polite, efficient, concise and professional.  He is open-minded and strives for no preconceived notion or bias, desiring each litigant to be seen and heard.  Others have stated he has an “excellent legal mind”, and “truly appears to want to get it right, for family law participants, particularly parents.”   His judicial survey results show average or better than average scores in all areas. In five of the six categories, specifically, Application and Knowledge of Law, Communications, Diligence, Demeanor and Fairness he surpasses average.  He is mastering his Domestic Relations caseload by seeking mentorship from his colleagues and spending additional work hours studying the law. He is sensitive to pro se litigants and takes time in pre-trial conferences to explain resource availability.  In addition, with regard to fair sentencing in criminal matters, his judicial perspective continues to widen. He seeks to see the human element of both victim and defendant, which is broader than his days as a Public Defender where he served for fifteen years.

Data gathered for this evaluation includes a personal interview with Judge Marcus Henson, review of his self-evaluation and opinions he wrote, courtroom observations, interviews with the Public Defender and District Attorney offices, and an analysis of judicial performance survey results from attorneys and non-attorneys who interact with him in court. Among the survey questions was, “Do you think Judge Marcus Henson meets judicial performance standards?”  Of the attorneys responding to the survey, 85% answered yes, 11% answered no, and 4% had no opinion. Of the non-attorneys responding to the survey, 85% answered yes, 11% answered no, and 4% had no opinion. A total of thirty-one attorneys and fifty-three non-attorneys responded to the judicial performance surveys expressing their opinion of Judge Marcus Henson.

 Judge Marcus Henson received his undergraduate degree in Political Science from the University of Georgia in Athens, and his law degree from Mercer University, Walter F. George School of Law in Macon, Georgia, in 2002. He was a Colorado Deputy State Public Defender from 2002 to 2017 in Colorado Springs.  He then served as Magistrate from November 2017 through March 2019 before appointment to the 4^th Judicial District Court Bench.   He serves the community in many volunteer positions, including Care and Share. He and his wife coordinated the food donations for Share the Love Food Drive at the El Paso County Courthouse and the YMCA.  Further, he serves on the Board of Directors for Court Care of the Pikes Peak Region, an organization in the courthouse designed to care for children while familial court proceedings take place.