Schwartz, Larry 2018 Evaluation

Reports:
2018 Retention Survey Report
2015 Interim Survey Report

The Fourth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously (7-0) agrees that El Paso County District Judge Larry Edward Schwartz MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS.

Judge Schwartz was appointed to the El Paso County District Court on January 1, 1997. Judge Schwartz received both an undergraduate and a law degree from the University of Colorado in 1970 and 1973, respectively. After law school, Judge Schwartz spent four years in the Air Force as a Judge Advocate. He was in private practice in Colorado Springs from 1978-1983. Thereafter, after spending time working as a commercial real estate broker, Judge Schwartz worked as an El Paso County Deputy District Attorney from 1990 to 1996. Judge Schwartz served on the Colorado Judicial Civil Rules Committee and was a member of the District Judges Association. He is also a past Trustee of El Paso County Bar Association and the El Paso County Bar Association/Board of Realtors Committee.

The Commission reviewed Judge Schwartz’s self-evaluation, a number of his written decisions, and the evaluations and comments of both attorneys and non-attorneys who have appeared before Judge Schwartz. Among the survey questions was “based on your responses to the previous question related to the performance evaluation criteria, do you think Judge Schwartz meets judicial performance standards?” Of the attorneys responding to the survey, 92% answered yes, meets performance standards and 8% answered no, does not meet performance standards. Of the non-attorneys responding to the survey, 92% answered yes, meets performance standards 6% answered no, does not meet performance standards and 3% had no opinion. (These percentages do not total 100% due to rounding) Since 2015, Judge Schwartz’s docket has consisted of civil cases and felony criminal cases. He also handles water law matters.  

Attorneys who responded to a survey regarding the performance of Judge Schwartz found Judge Schwartz to be above average in case management, application and knowledge of the law, and in his communication skills. Additionally, Judge Schwartz was rated very high in diligence and in courtroom demeanor. Non-attorneys also gave Judge Schwartz high marks in the areas of demeanor, fairness, communication skills, diligence and application of the law. The scores and comments given Judge Schwartz by both attorneys and non-attorneys are consistent with the high scores Judge Schwartz received in prior reviews. Judge Schwartz was open and direct when interviewed by the Commission. Judge Schwartz obviously enjoys his job, and it is the opinion of the Commission that he is an exceptional jurist. Judge Schwartz is a mentor to many of the Judges on the Fourth Judicial District bench. The Commission believes that Judge Schwartz meets performance standards, and it strongly recommends that Judge Schwartz continues as an El Paso County District Judge.