Fourth Judicial District - District Court Judge
Honorable Larry Edward Schwartz
Retention Year: 2012
Recommendation: Retain
Reports:
2012 Retention Survey Report (PDF)
2011 Interim Survey Report (PDF)
2009 Interim Survey Report (PDF)
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The Fourth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance, by a unanimous vote of 8-0 with 2 members absent, recommends that Judge Larry Edward Schwartz BE RETAINED.
Judge Schwartz was appointed to the Fourth Judicial District Court bench in January 1997. Prior to his appointment to the District Court bench, Judge Schwartz served as Deputy District Attorney. Judge Schwartz received his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Colorado. His workload consists of approximately 45% civil, 50% criminal, and 5% water cases. He speaks at various legal venues, evaluates the state-wide Mock Trial Competition, is on the Civil Jury Construction Committee, and assists with Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) activities.
Judge Schwartz was evaluated by 105 attorneys, 23 appellate judges, 478 non-attorneys, courtroom observations, his self-evaluation, and the Commission’s interview. He was overwhelmingly viewed as a good writer and speaker, knowledgeable of the law, kind and fair, with a very slight bias favoring the prosecution. His kindness and thoroughness may contribute to his perceived weakness of docket management, since he is known to give full time for courtroom expression and explanation. The Commission believes insistence on attorney discipline and strict adherence to procedure will simultaneously reinforce his commitment to fairness and speed up his docket.
Of all attorneys surveyed about retention, 91% recommended to retain, 5% not to retain, and 4% were undecided or didn’t have enough information to make a recommendation. Of those expressing an opinion to retain or not to retain, 95% recommended to retain and 5% not to retain. Of all non-attorneys surveyed, 94% recommended to retain, 2% not to retain, and 4% were undecided or didn’t have enough information to make a recommendation. Of those expressing an opinion to retain or not to retain, 97% recommended to retain and 2% not to retain. (These percentages may not total 100% due to rounding.)