Ninth Judicial District - Garfield County Court Judge
Honorable Jonathan Bruce Pototsky
Retention Year: 2022
Recommendation: Meets Performance Standard
The Ninth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously agrees by a vote of 10-0 that the Honorable Jonathan Bruce Pototsky 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.
As a county court judge, Judge Pototsky handles a wide array of matters, including civil litigation, domestic relations, criminal prosecutions, misdemeanor cases, traffic citations, and small claims cases. He received exceedingly high commendation for his intelligence, work ethic, diligence, case management, impartiality, and integrity. He is known as a firm but fair judge who cares about the litigants who appear before him. He commands respect in his courtroom but also is empathetic. He received high marks for his demeanor, legal knowledge, case management, and administrative performance.
In evaluating Judge Pototsky’s performance, the commission observed him in court and conducted interviews with representatives from the public defender’s office, the district attorney’s office, and the chief judge for the Ninth Judicial District. The commission conducted a personal interview with Judge Pototsky and reviewed legal rulings he has authored. The commission also reviewed surveys filled out by attorneys, non-attorneys (such as jurors and litigants), and court personnel, a self-evaluation completed by the judge, and performance statistics relating to his docket management and case administration. A vast majority of the 59 individuals who responded to surveys believed that Judge Pototsky meets judicial performance standards, earning that rating from 89% of attorneys surveyed and 96% of non-attorneys surveyed. When compared with all county court judges in Colorado, Judge Pototsky exceeded the median ranking in every category.
Judge Pototsky was appointed to the bench as a Garfield County Court Judge in Rifle, Colorado, in 2010. Prior to his judicial appointment, he was a deputy felony public defender in Michigan and a deputy district attorney in Colorado, he was also in private practice in the fields of family law, neglect/abuse, criminal defense, civil litigation, and real estate law. Judge Pototsky received a B.B.A. from the University of Miami in 1987 and a law degree from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 1991. He served as the president of the County Court Judges Association and was a nominee for Colorado’s Judicial Officer of the Year award. Judge Pototsky’s community involvement includes his volunteering with the Rifle High School Mock Trial Program and the Rifle High School Job Shadow program.