Eleventh Judicial District - District Court Judge
Honorable David M. Thorson
Retention Year: 2008
Recommendation: Retain
Reports:
Need an accessible PDF Document version?
Please click on the link below and email our staff
The Eleventh Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance recommends by a unanimous vote that Judge David M. Thorson BE RETAINED.
Judge Thorson was appointed to the District Court in January of 2005. Prior to that he was the Deputy District Attorney in Park County, and has experience in real estate, municipal and business organization law as well. As a judge, he has been active in the local community by participating in teen court in 2007 and by being involved with the Colorado Search and Rescue Board.
Attorneys who responded to the survey questions consistently rated Judge Thorson higher than other Colorado District Judges, and gave him very high marks on his application and knowledge of the law. One hundred percent of the attorneys who replied thought that his written communications were clear, thorough and well-reasoned. The non-attorney surveys also consistently gave Judge Thorson overall high marks. These surveys reflected the opinion that he maintained appropriate control over the courtroom, gave all participants an opportunity to be heard, and provided litigants with a fair hearing. He was ranked higher than other judges in this category.
Judge Thorson is cognizant of the areas in which he needs to improve and is making every effort to focus on those issues. He is active in continuing legal education to increase his knowledge of the law and procedures. He is receptive to criticism, using it to enhance his work as a judge. Furthermore, his participation with local community service activities is commendable. Some people did complain that they had trouble hearing the Judge, but he is aware of this and is making every effort to make sure that he is clear and can be heard in the courtroom. It appears from courtroom observations that he has made improvements in this area.
When asked whether or not Judge Thorson should be retained, 96% of the attorneys strongly recommended that he be retained in office, and 4% somewhat recommended that he be retained. No attorney recommended that he not be retained. Among the non-attorneys, 90% strongly recommended that he be retained, and 6% somewhat recommended that he be retained. These rankings were considerably higher than those for other Colorado judges and offer strong support for the recommendation that he be retained. The Commission believes that Judge Thorson is an exceptional judge and has proven to be a worthy addition to the bench during his first term in office.
Based upon survey results, review of Judge Thorson’s written decisions, the interview of the judge, and observations of him in court, the Commission’s unanimous recommendation is that Judge Thorson be retained.