Fourth Judicial District - El Paso County Court Judge
Honorable Daniel Scott Wilson
Retention Year: 2012
Recommendation: Retain
Reports:
2012 Retention Survey Report (PDF)
2011 Interim Survey Report (PDF)
2009 Interim Survey Report (PDF)
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The Fourth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously, by a vote of 9-0, recommends that Judge Daniel Scott Wilson BE RETAINED.
Judge Wilson graduated from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs in 1982. He completed law school in 1989, graduating from the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. For four years, he worked in private practice in Phoenix, Arizona and Denver, Colorado and then served as the Deputy District Attorney in the Fourth Judicial District for eight years, before being appointed to the bench in 2002. Judge Wilson’s docket is 99% criminal, divided equally between traffic and misdemeanor cases. He is active in the community serving in the Fostering Hope program and presiding over Teen Court proceedings and high school Mock Trial cases.
Judge Wilson worked with a team to launch the specialty County Court Veterans Treatment Court and he presides over a second specialty court, the DUI Court. His highest scores among attorney respondents were in overall communication, identifying and analyzing the relevant legal facts, giving proceedings a sense of dignity, and maintaining appropriate control in the courtroom. Forty-six percent of attorneys and 82% of non-attorneys viewed him as completely neutral in his judgments. He was viewed as very biased by 10%, and biased by 30% of attorneys in favor of the prosecution. The Commission interviewed Judge Wilson and reviewed his self-evaluation and documents he submitted as representative work products. Judge Wilson is known for running an efficient docket, while treating people courteously, patiently, and respectfully. He is said to be extremely fair and knowledgeable of the law and he considers each case and each defendant as an individual, while thoughtfully and thoroughly applying the law. Judge Wilson’s professionalism, expertise, and commitment make him an excellent candidate for retention.
Detailed surveys were completed by 411 people who appeared in Judge Wilson’s court. These included attorneys for defendants, attorneys from the District Attorney’s Office, court employees, law enforcement officers, jurors, and defendants. Of all attorneys surveyed about retention, 82% recommended to retain, 14% not to retain, and 4% were undecided or didn’t have enough information to make a recommendation. Of those expressing an opinion to retain or not to retain, 85% recommended to retain and 14% not to retain. Of all non-attorneys surveyed, 79% recommended to retain, 9% not to retain, and 12% were undecided or didn’t have enough information to make a recommendation. Of those expressing an opinion to retain or not to retain, 90% recommended to retain and 11% not to retain. (These percentages may not total 100% due to rounding.)