Fourth Judicial District - District Court Judge
Honorable David L. Shakes
Retention Year: 2024
Recommendation: Meets Performance Standards
Reports:
2024 Retention Survey Report (PDF)
2021 Interim Survey Report (PDF)
Need an accessible PDF Document Version?
Please click on the link below and email our staff
The Fourth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance voted 5-0 unanimously with five absent that Judge David L. Shakes MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS.
Judge Shakes has served as a District Judge since 2003. His docket is divided into 5% Misdemeanor, 5% Traffic, 50% Criminal and 40% Civil. Judge Shakes has presided over all the various District Court dockets. He currently presides over the Veterans Trauma Court. The Commission evaluated surveys from attorneys and non-attorneys, conducted interviews with the Chief Judge, District Attorney, Chief of the Public Defender’s Office and with Judge Shakes. In addition, the Commissioners observed courtroom proceedings in a variety of circumstances to collect the best available information. Judge Shakes overall combined score on the 2024 Judicial Performance Survey was 3.4 out a possible score of 4.0. The Commission is concerned that the surveys are not helpful since there was only a small number of responses in comparison to the number of surveys circulated. There were 18 attorneys that responded and 21 non–attorneys. The large majority of the attorneys and non-attorneys who responded stated Judge Shakes meets performance standards. The appellate judges gave him a score of 3.5 out of 4.0 and one appellate judge comment stated he brings a wealth of experience to the table, and he has excellent judicial temperament. Comments about Judge Shakes are that he has good knowledge of the law, that he is fair to both sides and is clear with his expectations and his orders. He lends a sense of seriousness to the court proceedings and runs an efficient courtroom. The few negative comments were that he may come across as stern or may be harsh in dealing with domestic violence cases. The Commission determined that Judge Shakes has no disciplinary history, and he has filed his financial disclosures on time.
Judge Shakes is passionate about promoting Problem-Solving Courts and especially the Veterans Trauma Court, which makes an incredible difference in the lives of many veterans. These courts have been effective in reducing recidivism. Judge Shakes is involved in developing a curriculum of best practices from what has been learned in Problem Solving Courts to be used in the regular criminal docket. Judge Shakes teaches a class on Problem Solving Courts at the Sturm College of Law at University of Denver. He has made numerous presentations at state and national conferences on Problem Solving Courts and Veterans Courts.
Judge Shakes began his legal career as the Trial Judge of the United States Army Reserve and served one year in Iraq as a Rule of Law Advisor. Judge Shakes is an experienced and hard-working judge who is an asset to the bench in the Fourth Judicial District.