Thirteenth Judicial District - District Court Judge
Honorable Steven E. Shinn
Retention Year: 1994
Recommendation: Retain
Judge Shinn was appointed to the Thirteenth Judicial District Court Bench in 1986, and has served in a full-time capacity for eight years. He is based in Sterling. He hears the entire range of cases that come before the District Court including civil, domestic relations, felony and criminal misdemeanor, and juvenile cases. Judge Shinn covers cases in the seven counties of the Judicial District as well as hearing cases on a volunteer basis in other Judicial Districts such as Larimer and Boulder in the past.
Evaluations received from attorneys, courthouse personnel, jurors, and law enforcement personnel consistently rated Judge Shinn highly capable. In one area in the attorney evaluations and in the courthouse personnel evaluations, a concern was expressed about his lack of promptness in making written decisions. Judge Shinn is aware of that concern and is making significant efforts to improve that performance. It is interesting to note that the litigants that responded to the evaluations disagreed with the other respondents in numerous areas. This was not surprising to Judge Shinn because of the unusual caseload he has had in the last several years dealing with complex, highly controversial matters in the District and in the extra assignments he accepted outside the District.
Form an in-person interview with Judge Shinn, the Commission finds him to be a people-oriented judge who is very interested in helping people to settle disputes both in and out of the courtroom. He is significantly involved in the community with young people in activities such as the county fair and summer youth programs.
The Thirteenth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance recommends that Judge Shinn BE RETAINED.