Sixteenth Judicial District - Otero County Court Judge
Honorable Douglas R. Manley
Retention Year: 2022
Recommendation: Meets Performance Standard
Reports:
2022 Retention Survey Report (PDF)
2021 Interim Survey Report (PDF)
Need an accessible PDF Document version?
Please click on the link below and email our staff
The Sixteenth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously agrees that Judge Douglas R. Manley MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS, by a vote of 10 – 0. 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 Manley presides over civil, criminal advisements, misdemeanors, traffic, and small claims matters in Otero County, Colorado. Judge Manley’s demeanor is described as calm, patient, fair, and understanding of people in the court room. Judge Manley has excellent docket control, consistently prepared for his hearings and executes exceptional oral orders. The Commission appreciates that Judge Manley is approachable and strives to increase his knowledge as evidenced by the substantial number of continuing education classes that Judge Manley attends. Judge Manley is an excellent example of what Judges should be and how they should perform in the courtroom. Commission members observed these qualities during their evaluation and interview. Based on these findings, the Commission unanimously agreed that Judge Douglas Manley meets performance standards.
The Commission conducted a personal interview with Judge Manley, interviewed both the Public Defender and District Attorney, reviewed opinions Judge Manley authored, observed him in court, reviewed a self-evaluation and reviewed judicial performance survey responses from attorneys and non-attorneys who had interaction in Judge Manley’s court. Judge Manley ranked considerably higher in his performance scores compared to other county court judges. Among the survey questions asked, “Based on your responses to the previous questions related to the performance evaluation criteria, do you think Judge Manley meets judicial performance standards?” Of the attorneys responding to the survey, 100% answered yes. Of the non-attorneys responding to the survey, 100% answered yes. A total of ten attorneys and fourteen non-attorneys responded to the judicial performance surveys expressing their opinion of Judge Manley.
Judge Manley has been appointed to the County Court since 2004. He serves Otero County and is a municipal judge in many of the smaller towns located in Otero, Bent and Crowley counties. He graduated from the University of Denver with a degree in political science. He received his law degree from the University of Colorado. Judge Manley is very active in community service and is a deacon at a local church.