Pototsky, Jonathan 2018 Evaluation

Reports:
2018 Retention Survey Report
2017 Interim Survey Report

The Ninth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously agrees by a vote of 9-0 that Judge Jonathan Bruce Pototsky MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS. 

Judge Pototsky was appointed to the Garfield County Court bench (Rifle, CO) in December 2010. Prior to his appointment, he was a deputy felony public defender, and a deputy district attorney. Judge Pototsky received a B.B.A. from the University of Miami, FL in 1987 and a juris doctor law degree from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 1991. He is the current president of the County Court Judges Association and was a nominee for Colorado’s Judicial Officer of the Year award. Judge Pototsky has been involved in the Rifle High School Mock Trial Program for 5 years and the Rifle High School Job Shadow program for the past 4 years.

The Commission conducted a personal interview with Judge Pototsky, reviewed opinions he authored, observed him in court, reviewed comments received from interested parties during the evaluation, and reviewed survey responses from attorneys and non-attorneys who had experience with Judge Pototsky. Among the survey questions was the question, “based on your responses to the previous questions related to the performance evaluation criteria, do you think Judge Pototsky meets judicial performance standards?” Of the attorneys responding to the survey, 100% answered yes, meets performance standards. Of non-attorneys responding to the survey, 90% answered yes, meets performance standards, 3% answered no, does not meet performance standards, and 7% had no opinion regarding whether Judge Pototsky meets or does not meet performance standards.  A total of 14 attorneys and 30 non-attorneys responded to the judicial performance surveys expressing their opinion of Judge Pototsky’ s performance.

This term, Judge Pototsky presided over criminal, traffic, domestic relations, small claims and other civil matters. Based on the Commission’s overall evaluation, Judge Pototsky has demonstrated that he meets or exceeds performance standards in all categories. In surveys Judge Pototsky was ranked well above other county court judges in case management, application and knowledge of the law, communications, diligence, demeanor, and fairness. Judge Pototsky was described as being one of the best county court judges in the state. He takes the time with self-represented parties to ensure they understand the nature of the proceedings and the reasons for his ruling. The Commission members observed these traits during their evaluation and interview with Judge Pototsky. Judge Pototsky’s opinions reflect his knowledge of the law and his logical and understandable communication style. Based on these findings the Commission unanimously agreed that Judge Pototsky meets performance standards.