Fifth Judicial District - Eagle County Court Judge
Honorable Katharine T. Sullivan
Retention Year: 2008
Recommendation: Retain
Reports:
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The Fifth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously recommends that Judge Katharine T. Sullivan BE RETAINED.
Judge Sullivan received her undergraduate degree from Syracuse University in 1988, and her law degree from George Washington University in 1995. After Judge Sullivan served as an assistant attorney general in New York State, she relocated to Colorado where she served as a deputy district attorney in the Ninth Judicial District. Judge Sullivan was in private practice before being appointed as the Eagle County Court judge in September 2006. Judge Sullivan is active in ongoing education regarding drug and alcohol rehabilitation, Colorado Legal Services, and most recently has developed and implemented a program to address bullying in the Eagle County public schools.
The Commission reviewed written evaluations of Judge Sullivan from attorneys and non-attorneys, as well as a written self evaluation completed by Judge Sullivan. A personal interview of Judge Sullivan was conducted by the Commission, and members of the Commission observed Judge Sullivan in the courtroom during several proceedings.
This is Judge Sullivan’s first review since her appointment to the bench. Judge Sullivan inherited a busy docket with a wide variety of cases in Eagle County. She is slowly making procedural changes to allow her to move cases through the court system more efficiently. The Commission recognizes that Judge Sullivan has unique issues regarding criminal sentencing due to the lack of space in the jail in Eagle County, and that she has had to seek alternative sentencing options because of this limitation. Judge Sullivan is continuously trying to improve her skills and knowledge, and will strive to start court hearings on time, as well as taking additional time to issue a decision after a hearing or trial. The Commission was highly impressed with Judge Sullivan’s compassion and empathy, and believes that it is one of her strengths as she interacts
with the public in her Courtroom.
Questionnaires received by the Commission from both attorneys and non-attorneys that have appeared in her courtroom uniformly rate Judge Sullivan high overall, and above average in the areas of fairness, demeanor, diligence and application of the law. Seventy-six percent of attorneys responding strongly recommend retention of Judge Sullivan, with 94% of responding non-attorneys sharing this strong recommendation.