Twelfth Judicial District - Mineral County Court Judge
Honorable Robert McClure Wardell
Retention Year: 2000
Recommendation: Retain
The Twelfth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously recommends that Judge Robert McClure Wardell BE RETAINED.
Judge Robert Wardell has been the County Court Judge for Mineral County, Colorado, for the last 35 years, having been appointed in January 1965. He graduated from Creede Public Schools in 1955 and attended Texas Western and Howard County Junior College between 1956 and 1957. He served two years in the United States Army and was employed by the Emperius Mining Company in Creede, Colorado, for approximately 12 years. He attended the National Judicial College in 1985 at Reno, Nevada.
As Mineral County Court Judge, Judge Wardell is responsible for presiding over traffic cases, misdemeanors, petty offenses, felony preliminary hearings, small claims and civil matters not exceeding $10,000.00.
Through his many years of service, his intimate acquaintance with his fellow residents of Mineral County, and his incisive and intuitive sense of justice and fair play, Judge Wardell has become a highly respected figurehead of justice. He has made himself available to serve when required in every other county in the Twelfth Judicial District. He has accumulated a great deal of understanding of the legal system and the compassion with those involved in it.
Judge Wardell is proud to serve in his capacity as judge and sees this as an opportunity to give back to his community. Judge Wardell demands respect in his courtroom and works diligently to assure cases are reviewed in a timely manner. He has adapted well to the new technological changes to the courtroom and welcomes any changes that help make the process more efficient and effective.
Judge Wardell indicated that the community is changing. This has required him to deal with many more people whom he does not personally know. He indicated that he strives to treat all defendants fairly but does not hesitate to use the court process to help defendants make life changes.
Of the attorneys responding to the survey, 100% recommended that Judge Wardell be retained. Of the non-attorneys responding to the survey, 82% recommended retention, 13% recommended non-retention, and 5% had no opinion.