Walzl, Daniel 2018 Evaluation

Reports:
2018 Retention Survey Report
2017 Interim Survey Report

The Twelfth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance by a unanimous vote (9-0) agrees that Judge Daniel A. Walzl MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS.

Judge Walzl was appointed to the Alamosa County Court in November of 2011. Prior to his appointment to the bench, Judge Walzl was the managing deputy of the Alamosa regional office for the Colorado State Public Defender. He had been with the Public Defender’s Office for ten years. Judge Walzl received his undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia, and in 1999, his law degree from the University of Colorado School of Law. 

The Commission conducted a personal interview with Judge Walzl, reviewed the self-assessment report completed by Judge Walzl, reviewed comments received from interested parties during the evaluation, conducted courtroom observations, and reviewed survey responses from non-attorneys and attorneys who had experience with Judge Walzl. Among the survey questions was “based on your responses to the previous questions related to the performance evaluation criteria, do you think Judge Walzl meets judicial performance standards?” Of the attorneys responding to the survey, 80% answered yes, meets performance standards 13% answered no, does not meet performance standards and 7% had no opinion regarding whether Judge Walzl meets or does not meet performance standards. Of non-attorneys responding to the survey, 98% answered yes, meets performance standards, 2% answered no, does not meet performance standards. A total of 17 attorneys and 60 non-attorneys responded to the judicial performance surveys expressing their opinion of Judge Walzl’s performance.

Judge Walzl presides over criminal cases, civil cases of less than $25,000, small claims cases of less than $7,500, civil protection orders, landlord/tenant cases, name changes, and traffic infractions. Judge Walzl was instrumental in the development of the DUI Court which has been successful for the Twelfth Judicial District. He states that the DUI court, “is a different approach that fits me well.” Judge Walzl received high marks from attorneys responding to the survey for his communication, specifically ensuring all participants understand the proceedings. Survey respondents expressed some concern over Judge Walzl’s efforts to stay on schedule with the docket, but overall, he is effective in managing his case load while being diligent in his preparation and impartial in his judgements. Judge Walzl successfully completed an improvement plan addressing judicial demeanor issues arising out of the prior round of performance reviews, and the Commission has determined that the issues of judicial demeanor raised in that plan have been satisfactorily addressed.