Torrington, Jennifer 2018 Evaluation

Reports:
2018 Retention Survey Report
2017 Retention Survey Report

The Second Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously (10-0) agrees that Judge Jennifer B. Torrington MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS.

Judge Torrington was appointed to the Denver District Court in July 2016. Judge Torrington received a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona in 1993 and a law degree from the University of Colorado in 1999. Prior to her appointment as a district judge, Judge Torrington was a magistrate in Denver. In addition to her service in the district court, Judge Torrington is an active member of the Child Support Commission.

For this evaluation period, the Commission on Judicial Performance interviewed Judge Torrington, reviewed three written opinions she authored, and observed her in court. Additionally, commissioners reviewed surveys submitted by attorneys, jurors, and parties who appeared before Judge Torrington. Among the survey questions was “based on your responses to the previous questions related to the performance evaluation criteria, do you think Judge Torrington meets judicial performance standards?” Of the attorneys responding to the survey, 70% answered that Judge Torrington meets the performance standards, 20% answered that she does not meet the performance standards, and 10% had no opinion of whether she meets or does not meet the performance standards. Of non-attorneys responding to the survey, 57% answered that Judge Torrington meets the performance standards, 43% answered that she does not meet the performance standards, and 0% had no opinion of whether she meets or does not meet the performance standards. A total of 33 attorneys and 21 non-attorneys responded to the judicial performance surveys expressing their opinion of Judge Torrington’s performance.

Judge Torrington presided in domestic relations from July 2016-July 2017, and has presided in civil court since July 2017. Judge Torrington’s survey scores among both attorneys and non-attorneys were below the average for district court judges in the categories of case management, application and knowledge of law, communications, demeanor, and diligence. However, the Commission is sensitive to the fact that judges who handle only domestic cases historically are given lower survey scores. The Commission is convinced, based on courtroom observations and the interview, that Judge Torrington, even though new to the bench, is an introspective judge who regularly assesses her strengths and weaknesses and works to improve her performance, both through personal effort as well as through professional development opportunities. Based on these findings the Commission unanimously agreed the Judge Torrington meets judicial performance standards.