Twenty-First Judicial District - Mesa County Court Judge
Honorable Arthur R. Smith
Retention Year: 1994
Recommendation: Retain
Judge Smith is a graduate of the University of Colorado and was admitted to the Colorado Bar in 1968. He served as an attorney in both the Pueblo and Colorado Rural Legal Services system before becoming an Assistant Mesa County District Attorney from 1974 through 1983. Judge Smith has been a Mesa County Court Judge since January of 1983.
As a County Judge he presides over traffic, misdemeanor criminal offenses and some civil cases. He conducts advisements and preliminary hearings in felony criminal cases and presides over small claims court. He voluntarily conducts juvenile delinquency advisements to expedite an otherwise overcrowded District Court docket.
Judge Smith rates very high in the questionnaires in the areas of judicial temperament, fairness, decisiveness and integrity. He is perceived as being unbiased, courteous, attentive and conscientious and he makes decisions without delay. His ratings in legal ability are very good and questionnaire respondents were very supportive of Judge Smith.
Even though Judge Smith handles over 6,000 cases a year, he continues to enjoy his work as County Court Judge and he likes the challenge of dealing with many pro se litigants and crowded dockets. Judge Smith is a fair-minded, hard-working and well-organized jurist who handles an inordinately heavy caseload efficiently and with minimal assistance from auxiliary support services.
The unanimous recommendation of the Commission is that Judge Smith BE RETAINED.