Sixth Judicial District - District Court Judge
Honorable Timothy Patalan
Retention Year: 1996
Recommendation: Retain
Based on this information, the Sixth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance recommends that Judge Patalan BE RETAINED.
Judge Patalan was appointed to the District Court on June 1, 1993, and was appointed to be Chief Judge of the Sixth Judicial District on April 1, 1996. Prior to his appointment, he was in the private practice of law primarily emphasizing criminal defense work and litigation.
Judge Patalan currently hears criminal, water, mental health, special district and juvenile matters. As Chief Judge of the District he is also responsible for administration of the court system for the Sixth Judicial District.
An overwhelming majority of those surveyed in questionnaires distributed to litigants, law enforcement personnel, court personnel, jurors and attorneys how have been involved in court proceeding s before Judge Patalan recommended Judge Patalan be retained. The State Court Administrator received 41 responses form attorneys and 11 responses form court personnel. Of these responses, 92.7% of responding attorneys recommended retention, 4.9% had no opinion and 2.4% recommended non-retention. Of the court personnel, 100% recommended that Judge Patalan be retained. Judge Patalan received praise in many areas covered in the surveys, and he received particular praise form jurors concerning his communication skills in the courtroom.
Since becoming a judge, Judge Patalan has established mandatory parenting after divorce seminars and has instituted mediation programs in civil and domestic cases. He is also in the process of establishing a class involving juvenile offenders and their parent. He is actively interested in promoting communication among the judges within the Sixth and Twenty-second Judicial Districts by means of en banc judges’ meetings.