Third Judicial District - Huerfano County Court Judge
Honorable Gary Robert Stork
Retention Year: 2012
Recommendation: Retain
The Third Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance, by a unanimous vote of the eight Commissioners present, with two Commissioners being absent, recommends that Judge Gary Robert Stork BE RETAINED.
Judge Stork was appointed as a Huerfano County Court Judge in January 2009. Prior to his appointment as a judge, Judge Stork had a long career as a prosecutor. He served as an elected District Attorney in La Junta, Colorado for 22 years and spent an additional seven years as a Deputy District Attorney for various communities in southern Colorado. He received his B.A. degree from Pasadena College and his law degree from the University of Denver. Judge Stork is active in his community including involvement with the La Veta School District, the Walsenburg School District, weddings, and a workshop for the Sixteenth Judicial District Law Enforcement Organization.
Since appointed, Judge Stork has greatly improved the efficiency of the Huerfano County Court by streamlining the docket and developing a good rapport with the court clerks. Counsel who have appeared in front of Judge Stork rank his overall performance above the state average for county judges standing for retention, and he is viewed as unbiased by both prosecution and defense counsel in criminal cases. While non-attorneys did not rank Judge Stork’s performance as high as attorneys ranked his performance, the non-attorney responses were still favorable. The Commission discussed the non-attorney responses with Judge Stork and is satisfied that he will continue to do his best to address any concerns raised. Overall, Judge Stork performs his job well despite challenges caused by an outdated and inadequate courtroom.
Of all attorneys surveyed about retention, 91% recommended to retain, 0% not to retain, and 9% were undecided or didn’t have enough information to make a recommendation. Of those expressing an opinion to retain or not to retain, 100% recommended to retain and 0% not to retain. Of all non-attorneys surveyed, 65% recommended to retain, 21% not to retain, and 14% were undecided or didn’t have enough information to make a recommendation. Of those expressing an opinion to retain or not to retain, 76% recommended to retain and 24% not to retain.