Seventeenth Judicial District - District Court Judge
Honorable Francis C. Wasserman
Retention Year: 2008
Recommendation: Retain
Reports:
Need an accessible PDF Document version?
Please click on the link below and email our staff
The Seventeenth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously recommends that Judge Francis C. Wasserman BE RETAINED.
Judge Wasserman was appointed to the bench in 2005 and was originally assigned to the Domestic Relations Division and was reassigned to the Criminal Division approximately one year ago. Prior to this appointment, he was employed as the Chief Trial Deputy District Attorney for the 17th Judicial District and in this capacity; on September 7, 2004 one of his murder trials was broadcast nationwide on ABC News, “In the Jury Room.” That program was viewed in Europe and he was invited to lecture on the American Jury System at an International Seminar on Jury Trials at the University of Iceland in October, 2005, and on the Criminal Justice System at a consortium of International Schools in Brussels, Belgium. He served in the armed forces of the United States, first in the Merchant Marines for two years before enlisting in the Navy for a four year tour of duty in late 1967. Judge Wasserman directed an intelligence research and analysis program involving submarine acoustic surveillance systems. He was cleared Secret with Top Secret access, and was honorably discharged in 1971. He attended the University of Florida where he received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science and International Relations in 1978. He did Graduate Studies in Law and Philosophy in 1979 and obtained his Juris Doctorate in 1981. Judge Wasserman is a member of the Colorado Bar Association, the National District Attorney’s Association, the Adams/Broomfield Bar Association (past president) and serves on the Board of Directors of the Metro Volunteer Lawyer Association. He indicated a desire to be more involved in the Adams County community, but is limited in doing so in part to the policies that are currently in place barring the Judiciary from being involved in any organization that could engender a conflict of interest.
The Judicial Performance Commission is compromised of attorneys and non-attorneys that are Adams County residents. Each Commission member has attended Courtroom sessions and observed the operations of the Court throughout the year, conduct at least one personal interview
with the Judge, review the professionally obtained survey results that have been collected by an independent surveyor and take into account the Judge’s strengths and weakness before making a recommendation to the public. In this regard, the Honorable Francis Wasserman has been found by the commission to be a highly qualified, competent and a respected member of the Adams County Judiciary.
Judge Wasserman is highly respected by his colleagues and by both the non-attorneys and attorneys that appear before him. He has achieved a score of excellence in maintaining proper Courtroom decorum, sentencing with consistency, promptly making rulings during trial, treating fairly all parties that come before the Court without an attorney and not engaging in communications outside of the Courtroom without all parties being present. All other areas were rated above average. 93% of all attorneys surveyed recommended that Judge Wasserman be retained while 87% of non-attorneys surveyed recommended retention as well. The Commission unanimously recommends Judge Francis Wasserman BE RETAINED.