Eighteenth Judicial District - District Court Judge
Honorable Charles M. Pratt
Retention Year: 2014
Recommendation: Retain
Reports:
2014 Retention Survey Report (PDF)
2011 Interim Survey Report (PDF)
2009 Interim Survey Report (PDF)
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The Eighteenth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously recommends that Judge Charles M. Pratt BE RETAINED.
Judge Pratt holds an undergraduate degree in Economics from Colorado State University, and an MBA and law degree (earned simultaneously in 1982) from the University of Denver. For a number of years he worked in private practice, specializing in civil law. He was appointed to the Arapahoe County District Court bench in August of 2005 and currently has an 80% civil and 19% criminal docket. Judge Pratt is the Presiding Civil Court Judge. He has a long history of conducting volunteer work in the community, including judging mock trial competitions with high school and elementary-aged children. He is a member of the Access to Justice Committee, which works to find ways to improve the public’s ability to interact with the courts, has been a member of the 18th Judicial District’s Community Corrections Board since 2007, is active with the Minoro Yasui Inn of Court, mentors law students, and is a sought-after speaker at numerous legal education meetings, conferences and symposiums.
The Commission conducted extensive research before recommending retention of Judge Pratt, including review of surveys conducted on the judge, interviews with people involved in the courtroom, studying the judge’s personal self-evaluation, and personal observations in his courtroom. Judge Pratt is described in surveys and interviews as being very bright, polite and courteous, fair and impartial, well-prepared, hard-working, thoughtful, and respectful of everyone in his courtroom. In surveys of both attorneys and non-attorneys, Judge Pratt received well-above-average scores for case management, knowledge of the law, communications, demeanor, diligence and neutrality (favoring neither the defense nor the prosecution). Of the 162 attorneys who responded to a survey about Judge Pratt, 88% recommended that he be retained, 2% recommended non-retention, and 10% made no recommendation. Of the 204 non-attorneys who responded to a survey, 98% recommended he be retained and 2% recommended non-retention. (These percentages may not total 100% due to rounding.)
Judge Pratt is seen by all categories of people providing input to the Commission (including attorneys, district attorneys, public defenders, non-attorneys, witnesses, litigants and defendants) as an outstanding judge who has grown and improved on the bench over the last six years. The Commission wholeheartedly recommends Judge Pratt for retention.