Fourth Judicial District - District Court Judge
Honorable Timothy J. Schutz
Retention Year: 2012
Recommendation: Retain
Reports:
2012 Retention Survey Report (PDF)
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The Fourth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance, by a unanimous vote of 8-0, recommends that Judge Timothy J. Schutz BE RETAINED. Two Commissioners were absent.
Judge Schutz graduated, with honors, from Moorhead State University in 1984 with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Political Science. He graduated from law school at the University of North Dakota in 1987 at which time he was awarded a Juris Doctorate, with distinction. While in law school he served as Editor in Chief of the North Dakota Law Review. Judge Schutz believes that it is important for judges to be active in the community. He particularly enjoys speaking to community and school groups about how our judicial system works, for example: the Our Courts and Teen Court and Judicially Speaking programs. He also has volunteered as a presiding judge in high school mock trial competitions. Judge Schutz has recently participated as an invited speaker regarding diversity at a recent Colorado Bar Association seminar. Judge Schutz was appointed to the District Court effective November 1, 2010. Before being appointed to the bench, Judge Schutz worked for 23 years as a private practitioner in the areas of civil litigation, intellectual property, land use disputes, and representation of special districts.
The Commission reviewed written evaluations of Judge Schutz from attorneys and non-attorneys, including written verbatim comments. The Commission also considered a written self-evaluation completed by Judge Schutz, conducted a personal interview with Judge Schutz, reviewed sample written orders of the judge, and observed him in courtroom sessions. Judge Schutz sees his primary duty as a judicial officer as making sure that everyone appearing in his court is treated fairly and equally. As part of carrying out this duty, Judge Schutz strives to provide all parties with a full and complete understanding of the court’s procedures and the reasons for his decisions. His stated goal is to bring equal measures of humanity, diligence, and scholarship to his judicial calling.
On the evaluation questionnaires, Judge Schutz received high ratings from both attorneys and non-attorneys in almost every category. Of the 39 attorneys surveyed about retention, 74% recommended to retain, 13% not to retain, and 13% were undecided or didn’t have enough information to make a recommendation. Of those expressing an opinion to retain or not to retain, 85% recommended to retain and 15% not to retain. Of the 113 non-attorneys surveyed, 88% recommended to retain, 6% not to retain, and 7% were undecided or didn’t have enough information to make a recommendation. Of those expressing an opinion to retain or not to retain, 94% recommended to retain and 6% not to retain. (These percentages may not total 100% due to rounding.)