Seventh Judicial District - San Miguel County Court Judge
Honorable Sharon Shuteran
Retention Year: 1994
Recommendation: Retain
Judge Sharon Shuteran was appointed to the County Court bench of San Miguel in 1984. She had previously served as a Deputy District Attorney. The majority of her caseload for the court is attributed to traffic matters, approximately 20% of the cases are misdemeanor and a small percentage is felony complaints.
Though the number responding to the evaluation questionnaires was small, Judge Shuteran received high marks from law enforcement officers, jurors and courthouse personnel. Most of the questionnaire responses came from attorneys with 54% recommending that Judge Shuteran be retained. Of the total responses, 67% felt she should be retained, 21% felt she should not be retained, and 12% had no opinion.
A number of attorneys raised concerns in the areas of equal treatment for all parties and adequate knowledge of substantive and procedural law. Comments from some attorneys also tend toward perception of potential impertinence and occasional use of inappropriate sarcasm. However, Judge Shuteran received high marks from all classes of respondents for her courtroom demeanor, control and courtesy. She is punctual, renders prompt rulings and clear decisions, and takes special care to listen and inform those appearing without an attorney.
A number of members of the 7th Judicial District vote a “No Opinion” vote. The majority of the Commission recommends that Judge Sharon Shuteran BE RETAINED.