Second Judicial District - Denver County Court Judge
Honorable Fran Simonet
Retention Year: 2024
Recommendation: Meets Performance Standards
Reports:
*Insufficient responses to publish 2024 Survey Report
2023 Interim Survey Report (PDF)
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The Denver County Court Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously agrees by a vote of 5-0 that Honorable Judge Fran Simonet MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS. The Colorado statutory judicial performance criteria are integrity, legal knowledge, communication skills, judicial temperament, administrative performance, and service to the legal profession and the public.
Judge Simonet takes time to engage with courtroom participants while also running an efficient docket. She demonstrates patience and professionalism in the courtroom. She has focused on honing her writing skills and plans to continue to do so. She shows respect and concern for the time of jurors, who are indispensable to our system. Accordingly, she implemented a pre-trial procedure to save significant time during trials. She offers to meet with attorneys who have appeared before her to provide feedback. Judge Simonet is also working toward being more expansive as to the legal reasons for her rulings. She is a strong advocate for the Court’s Peer Navigator program, which employs people with common lived experiences to support individuals in the court process when needed. She is actively involved in the community in both legal and non-legal settings.
In evaluating Judge Simonet, the commission used live, livestream and recorded courtroom observations, conducted a personal interview with the judicial officer, case management data and reviewed surveys from attorney and non-attorney courtroom participants, comments received from interested parties during the evaluation, and the judicial officer self-evaluation, with supporting documents when submitted, to inform its decision for meets/does not meet performance standards.
Judge Simonet was appointed to the Denver County Court by Mayor Hancock in 2017. She is a Denver native and earned her law degree from Gonzaga University School of Law in 2000. Prior to her appointment, she worked for the Colorado State Public Defender’s Office, served as a district court magistrate in the 17th Judicial District and was in private practice specializing in state and federal criminal defense. Since her appointment she has served in the civil division, the preliminary hearing division and is currently assigned to a general sessions trial division. She volunteers regularly for the Colorado Women’s Bar as a mentor, serves on the State Court Judicial Education Committee, is co-dean of the State Judicial Department’s annual Advanced New Judge Orientation. She also is an avid fan and key volunteer for the East High School Rugby Club.